A wanderer that couldn't leave
by D4GJ3R
Summary: Kheldar, a wanderer from regions unknown, arrives at Tokyo-3, only to find that he can't leave for the first time ever. Please R&R.
1. Arrival:For a smile

A/N  
This is my first fic, so don't stop reading, it's gonna get better, I   
promise, I really do.  
Now it's an SI fic, written for a contest that is on EFO, though I think it   
might go to FF.net. Anyway, so enjoy, and please finish.  
  
Disclaimer: Evangelion belongs to Gainax, yada yada yada.  
  
A Wanderer that couldn't leave  
  
Chapter 1  
Arrival/For a smile  
  
As I walked into the outskirts of Toyko-3 I sighed. What a LONG walk. Shii,   
even in this day and age I still didn't have any form of modern transport,   
damn, I didn't even have a bike.  
  
I took a short break at the Tokyo-3 lookout point. I stared out at the city,   
bathed in the light of the setting sun before realizing that something   
wasn't quite right. Where were all the tall buildings, the giant   
skyscrapers, and why were all the lights out?  
  
Feeling tired, I decided to eat my dinner, as it was very late. I pulled out   
my jerky, and stood, with my hands on the rail, chewing on my food. The wind   
picked up, a cool wind for post Second Impact, it flew through my black   
hair, ruffling the strands that covered my black eyes.  
  
Everything about me was dark, my navy blue jacket, my black baggy jeans,   
even my dark blue sneakers. Only my skin stood out, what you could see of   
it, and even that was dark, more from dirt then anything else.  
  
I decided that I wasn't going any further today, and that I would make my   
grand entrance tomorrow. However as I was pulling out my sleeping bag, I   
heard voices. I could hear a loud girl, and perhaps a male too. Now who   
could be up here, as the Sun began to set? I pulled out a metal rectangular   
object from my pocket. It was full of holes, and seemed to be divided down   
the middle. Flipping the catch at the bottom, I skillfully flipped the   
butterfly knife and extracted the blade. Money was scarce, and maybe a love   
struck duo wouldn't give me much fight in exchange for their money.  
  
I grabbed my stuff and hid in the bushes at the side. Three children walked   
into my view, a redheaded girl with a hot body, a somewhat downcast looking   
guy with brown hair, and a light blue haired girl with red eyes. Those eyes   
were looking straight at me, even though I was well hidden. It felt like   
those eyes could reach into my soul. I grew afraid, I didn't think I wanted   
to interfere with these people. Then a glint of sun reflecting silver caught   
my eye, and I noticed a man in a black suit following the three, security,   
no doubt. I definitely wanted to stay out of their way. So decided I began to  
back out of the bush, hoping that I would pass unnoticed.  
  
However as I was backing out, I felt a presence beside me, I whipped around,   
knife in front, only to find the red eyed girl gazing back at me. I jumped   
back, scared, my mind calculating that it was physically impossible for one   
person to move so fast, and not look like they had moved at all.  
  
She continued to stare at me, and I relaxed, imperceptibly. Those eyes could   
give you nightmares, if you didn't know what to expect. I was no exception,   
and I was close to running away when she spoke.  
  
"Why do you have a weapon?" Her voice was soft, but curious. She seemed very   
innocent, and also very nice, so I decided that I wouldn't have to flee her,   
I always did have a soft spot for pretty girls.  
  
"WONDERGIRL!!" A voice, shouted, I think it was the red head. "Where are   
you?!!"  
  
I looked at the girl, and decided that I some friends in Tokyo-3 would be   
nice.  
  
"Hi, my name's Kheldar, what's yours?" I said.  
  
"My name is Rei Ayanami." She still sounded soft.  
  
"Well nice to meet you Rei..." I was about to continue when a mildly   
irritated red headed girl appeared on Rei's right, out of the bushes.  
  
"You shouldn't wander off by yourself, Wondergirl! After all here I am   
giving you the honor of spending time with me and go and leave Shinji and I   
alone." She stood there glaring and expecting an answer.  
  
Just as Rei was about to reply, the boy stepped out of the bushes, following   
behind the redhead. He looked slightly pained. "Asuka, it wasn't that bad, we  
found her didn't we? Just let it lie, for me?" I cringed for him, bad move boy.  
  
Just like I expected, Asuka turned on him instead. "What would you know   
about sociality you idiot? You sit and stare as much as she does. Don't go   
always defending her..." She trailed off, as she had just caught sight of   
me.  
  
The boy looked away, but I could tell that he had actually planned for Asuka   
to yell at him instead of Rei. Which made me ponder, Loyalty is a trait that   
I value the most in a friend, and it was continually getting rarer. This was   
very interesting. However a very cross girl in front of me snapped me back   
to reality.  
  
"Um, Hi, I'm Kheldar, please to meet you." I offered as tactfully as I   
could. "And who do I have the honor of addressing." I must admit, I'm slick,   
sadly only to people I didn't know.  
  
Asuka brighten at the compliment, and then drew herself straight. "I'm Asuka   
Langley Soryu, the great designated pilot to Evangelion Unit-02."  
  
Evangelion? What the hell is that? I was most totally stumped. "Um that's nice,  
who are your friends?" I wanted to know who this quiet guy was.  
  
"Friends? No way, these are my fellow-pilots, Shinji Ikari, and Rei   
Ayanami."  
  
Shinji looked up and whispered to Asuka. "I don't think you should be   
telling a stranger everything."  
  
I was shocked, hurt even, then I realized that this piloting thing sounded   
very military. That would explain those suits that were trailing them. Maybe   
these children were part of a military organization. I asked as much. Asuka   
answered, who was quick to show off her NERV ID.  
  
"Yes, we work for NERV, it's an military arm of the UN designed to defeat   
the angels and protect humanity." Shinji began tugging at her arm again. She   
turned on him. "Calm down you baka, I know what I'm doing, this is nothing more  
then what most Tokyo-3 citizens know anyway."  
  
I mulled over the situation in my head. I thought angels were good things.   
Hmm, oh well, didn't hurt to listen, and what did Rei have to do with this,   
she wasn't talking at all.  
  
"So who are you exactly, and what do you do?" I jumped a bit as the voluble   
girl waved her hand in my face. "Kheldar is not a Japanese name. Don't tell   
me you're a foreign agent." When I didn't answer she spun around to face   
Shinji. "Shinji you IDIOT, why didn't you warn me he could be a sp..."  
  
I hastily intervened before someone got hurt. "I'm just a wanderer. I go   
from town to town, country to country, with nothing but what I have with me.   
I'm always looking for something new in life, but so far nothing has ever   
kept me in one place long. Oh and yeah, Kheldar is my traveling name, I   
think my original name was Josh, but that was quite common in the west."  
  
"We must hurry," the soft sound of Rei's voice breaking through   
our conversation. "If we want to see the rising."   
  
Asuka smacked her own forehead, "the buildings, of course, that's why we   
came, come on baka Shinji, let's go see the 'rising'." Then she mumbled,   
"though I don't know what the fuss is about."  
  
"You are welcome to come along if you wish."   
  
I rotated to face Shinji. "Thanks," I stammered.  
  
"COME ON SHINJI!" The brown haired boy looked slightly annoyed, but turned   
and walked over to the two advancing girls. I turned to walk with him, and   
we moved towards the rail that overlooked the city.  
  
Just as we settled in, I stood next to Rei and watched the scene. An alarm   
sounded, sort of like the buzzing sound that accompanies reversing   
forklifts. Only this was far louder. I wasn't really paying attention, till   
movement registered in my brain. I gasped in wonder, as building upon   
building began to rise from the ground. Huge skyscrapers, encased in glass,   
towering over the rest of the city. They rose out, with seamless   
smoothness, and finally settled into place with the dying rays of the Sun.   
As I watched, I noticed Rei's hand was positioned next to mine, I slowly   
placed my hand on hers, more as a friendship gesture then any romantic   
affair. I was ready to withdraw if she so wanted.  
  
She looked at me, and then glanced at Asuka, who was standing there in   
companionable silence with Shinji, both looking at the rising marvel.   
Anyway, Rei didn't retract her hand, instead, she nearly stopped my heart   
when she turned and smiled at me.  
  
Had I known her far longer I would have been even more shocked, however this   
smile, in the fade radiance of the Sun was far better then the most   
throbbing rock song, or the most powerful wind. The feelings that smile   
caused in me, were like the Sun coming out after 40 days of rain, or a fire   
after being in the darkness. From the instant of that smile, I was a goner.  
  
***  
  
As she watched the buildings rose, Rei glanced at Asuka and Shinji, both   
standing, almost touching. She felt a twinge of something akin to pain   
in her soul, as she realized that soon they would express what they felt for   
each other.  
  
'Why am I feeling this way? What is this sensation of emptiness?' Then she   
felt a small warmth over her hand, and the pain seemed that much smaller.  
  
***  
  
We walked to her house in silence, almost side by side, Rei slightly in   
front since she knew the way. As we moved through the town, I covertly   
stared at the new center of my attention. After that first smile, she hadn't   
really changed from her original shy self. Her head was slightly down cast,   
her eyes on the road in front of her. I didn't want to break the silence, it   
wasn't awkward, I myself spent many days with my best friend sitting and not   
talking.  
  
I was so in my thoughts, that I missed her stopping and walked a few steps   
past her. Then she called my name. "Kheldar." And I realized my error. I   
turned around and we walked up the stairs towards her apartment.  
  
The place was a dump, and had been for a while I soon learned, letters   
filled her slot to overflowing, and trash littered the hallway to her room.   
She stopped at a door, and so did I. I looked around.  
  
"You live here?" I asked, somewhat amazed.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Isn't it kinda dirty? I mean I thought girls would normally pick places a   
bit neater, and the way Asuka talks NERV must be a pretty important group.   
Don't they got better accommodations?"  
  
"This is adequate," she said, and then opened the door. She just left it   
open, and so I took it as an invitation to go in.  
  
Once inside, Rei went to the bathroom, and then came out and began to take   
off her uniform. I was of course VERY shocked, as I didn't think Rei was   
'that' sort of girl. I immediately turned around (yes IMMEDIATELY, I respect   
girls) I started to stammer.  
  
"Rei, um, what are you doing?"  
  
"I am preparing to sleep." Her tone was totally monotonous, which told me   
she had no clue that this was wrong.   
  
Just who was Rei Ayanami?  
  
"Well, in that case I will be leaving then," and edged to the door, my eyes   
firmly on the floor. A pair of pale feet appeared in my vision.  
  
"Do you have shelter tonight?"  
  
"Um, no actually I don't." I am SO DUMB!!  
  
"Then you may stay here," she said and so saying laid down in the bed,   
totally naked.  
  
I choked and stumbled to my knees, my brief glance had severely weakened my   
honorable resolve and I slowly stood up.  
  
"Rei, if you want me to stay over, could at least put some clothes on?" I   
pleaded.  
  
Rei got up, and started towards her closet. "Are you uncomfortable? Ikari   
had the same reaction when he was here too."  
  
I nodded, so I was right, she didn't know that being naked in front of guys   
was wrong. She was really weird, however, I didn't have a place to stay, and   
so since she had offered, I looked around for a second room... nothing, just   
the bathroom. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, and I lay my sleeping bag   
in the rather long bathtub. Thank God for small favors.  
  
***  
  
I woke up to the sounds of pee running into a toilet. My brain barely   
registered this, as my muscles were screaming from lying in a curved shaped,   
hard space all night. Then I remembered where I was, and more importantly   
what the sound meant. I lay stock still, refusing to open my eyes, until the   
door closed. Then I quickly sat up. My neck ached, and I let out a rather   
loud moan.  
  
The door reopened, and Rei stepped in. "Are you awake Kheldar?"  
  
I looked at her, dressed in her uniform, and was about to say yes, when   
another spasm wracked my neck and I let out another moan, more like a short   
scream. Inwardly I cringed at this display of unmanliness, but then I guess   
Rei didn't really care about things like that.  
  
"What is the cause of your distress?" she asked, more to be polite then   
anything .  
  
"My neck hurts." I stood up, and promptly fell back down as my back muscles   
twisted and writhed. I lay there stunned, until I felt soft hands began to   
rub my back.  
  
If I could have, I would have told her to stop, cause I was still fairly   
uncomfortable with the whole guy in the same house as a girl he didn't   
really know thing. However as I was totally dazed, and my mouth was stuffed   
into my sleeping bag, I couldn't really say anything. Besides, it felt kinda   
nice. After my back relaxed, I struggled into a sitting position.  
  
"Thank You Rei, that was very nice," I said, very gratefully.  
  
"You are welcome, though you have made me late for school."  
  
I was instantly apologetic, but when I looked up to say I was sorry, she had   
already left the bathroom. I got up, and decided that I would need a better   
bed that night.  
  
As I stepped out of the room, the door slammed open and a black suited man,   
complete with sunnies, and white shirt, stepped into the room. Of course I   
reacted, swinging out my butterfly knife, and diving for his gun. However,   
instead...  
  
"Kheldar, stop."   
  
With those two words, only my arm retracted to my pocket, my folded up knife  
inside. I stumbled slightly, my lunge suddenly stopped, and then regained my  
footing right in front of the suit.  
  
My mind raced, and I came to the conclusion that a military group would have   
security, which would mean that THIS was Rei's detail. How interesting, they   
let me spend the night. How very weird.  
  
"Come with me son." The agent stepped in a grabbed my arm, though he looked   
a bit unnerved at the speed of which I had attacked him. I struggled out of   
his grasp, and then followed him as we headed outside.  
  
"Don't worry Rei, I'll be fine, you have fun at school." I called as I   
left, though that feeling of confidence was not as strong as I would have   
liked her to believe.  
  
***  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
His voice was cold, very cold. He betrayed no emotions, and those orange glasses  
hid his eyes. Yet the man in front of me did not really intimidate me. His  
sprawling office, with one small desk, his carefully designed position, made me  
remember my father, and the way he would treat staff who had slacked off. To  
those who deserved punishment, he was a cold statue, but to those who excelled  
he was warm and caring. I suspected much was the same with this nameless person.  
I was right, but later I thought I was wrong, but now, now I had my confidence.  
  
"I am Kheldar Dagashi, I wander around the world, looking for stuff to do,   
fun to have. I've been around the globe, Pre and post Second Impact. I am   
pleased to meet you, and your... employees. Now if I might ask, just who are   
you?"  
  
"I ask the questions here," he snapped, yet without revealing his emotions.   
"However, my name is Gendo Ikari, and I am the commander of NERV."  
  
I was stunned, this enigmatic being was SHINJI's FATHER? Or even related,   
but it was too close to not be... however I did have to check. "So you are  
Shinji's father?" I asked, then slapped myself, remembering his last words.  
  
Surprisingly he smirked slightly, and then answered. "Yes, and I would   
prefer that you stayed away from my Pilots, especially Rei."  
  
To stay away from Rei was expected, guy staying in a girl's apartment,   
(BUZZER) But why did he refer to his son as just pilots. My mind raced, and   
I came to conclusion that this was classic father heading for success state,   
no time for children, and works really hard. I could accept that, my father   
was much the same till he died, much the same.  
  
"However," He continued, disregarding my thoughts, "Rei has informed my men   
that she does not think that you are a threat, and that you maybe a good   
friend for Shinji, to make him more... stable."  
  
Well talk about heartless. However this was a great turn of events, their   
commander endorsing my stay here, hey I might even get some cash out of this   
one. "I would be honored sir, to stay with your pilots I mean, however you think   
you could send a mattress to Rei's house?"  
  
I could have sworn I heard a chuckle, but I might have been too far away.  
  
"You are bold, how old are you?"  
  
"Well sir, I just turned seventeen on the 22nd of Jan. Hey you think that   
since I'm kinda doing you a favor you can like gimme some allowance?" Ok,   
normally I wasn't so bold, but I really wanted to see if I had heard a   
chuckle or not. I was rewarded, with an out right laugh.  
  
"Listen, Kheldar, you are at his mercy, you live only because he allows it,   
and because Rei asks, and yet you still ask for things which you have no   
right too. Don't you think you should be a bit happier with what you have."   
  
I looked behind me, to the hot purple haired woman that just walked in. Or   
had she? How long had she been there, and undetected by me, very strange.  
  
"This is Major Misato Katsuragi the guardian of the two Children, Shinji   
Ikari and Asuka Soryu. She will be looking after your...case. Dismissed"  
  
I left the room, staring at the escort that had arrived. As the door closed   
I said, "Hi, can I call you Misato?"  
  
"No problem, and I will call you Kheldar, pleased to meet you." She seemed a   
chirpy sort of person.  
  
"No no, the honor is all mine." I bowed, Western style, then continued, "so   
the two Children live with you?" I emphasized the C just like the commander   
did. I figured there had to be a good reason.  
  
"Yeah, my two roommates, the most arrogant girl in Tokyo and the shyest boy   
in the world." She sighed, "Well, I guess we can fit one more guest, at   
least for a while."  
  
I looked up, and then decided that I was going to make my intentions clear   
right now.  
  
"Um, Misato, I would like it if I could stay with Rei."  
  
"Oh and why is that?" she said, her tone teasing.  
  
I could feel my face heating up. So I turned and began a thorough   
investigation of walls we were passing. "Well, I think that a girl shouldn't  
live all by herself in a rundown apartment." Using my best argument first.  
  
"So you think that you can offer more protection the three Section 2 agents   
huh?"  
  
Damn, ok number two.  
  
"Well, I figure she could use some help learning how to be a bit more...   
normal. Is it me, or is she sometimes very weird?"  
  
"Hmm, maybe you're right," Misato conceded after a pause. "She does need help learning to live. Maybe you should be there, but mind you, no funny business."   
  
I could tell she was just teasing, truth to tell I hate people who constantly  
tease others, but hey, she was my new superior so I guess I couldn't complain.  
"Thanks Major, and don't worry, did I do anything last night?"  
  
***  
  
I carried in the mattress that Misato had gotten me, and then looked around   
for a place to lay it down. Due to the small size of the room, my bed would   
be almost touching Rei's. Unbidden images of her sprang into my mind, and I   
had to quickly think of other, less embarrassing things.  
  
I put down my mattress, the head touching the head of Rei's bed, so that   
they lay in an L shape, and allowed access to both. I made my bed, and then   
lay down to ponder what had just happened.  
  
***  
I had just arrived in a village; darkness had long descended, when I heard   
what sounded like soft screams. I raced over in the direction of sound, and   
the screams started getting louder. They were moving, which suggested that   
someone, sounded like a girl, was getting chased. I ran until I caught sight   
of her, and watched as a leering man chased after her. Instantly my anger   
flared, for I always believed in giving girls the respect they deserve and to   
never take advantage of your own strength.  
  
As I was watching the girl tripped, and then lay still on the ground,   
whimpering. The man let out a triumphant call, and then walked over to the   
fallen child. I had to stop this, so I stepped out.  
  
"Stop, do not touch her," I said, the command in my voice startling even me,   
after all he was at least double my weight, and didn't look like it was   
much fat either. However I stood my ground.  
  
"f*** off boy, this is none of your business," he spat and then turned back   
to the still now struggling form of the girl. She woke up, and then caught   
sight of me. Her eyes pleaded me to both save her, and to not get involved.   
This settled it. I had to do something.  
  
"Sir, I would have to ask that you step away from her NOW!" I reached over   
my left shoulder and undid a velcro strap. There it secured a short metal   
bar, which was joined by the bottom to my backpack. It fell down, behind me,   
pivoting on its joint. Up came a handle of sorts, a hilt, of my Kodachi.  
  
The would-be molester, probably hadn't seen one of these before, so   
therefore didn't realize what I could do to him. I think with his crazed mind   
he could only see a small scrawny boy, trying to stop him from what he   
wanted. So naturally he charged at me.  
  
His eyes widened in surprise when he was about to impact on me, I drew my   
sword and ran him through the thigh.  
  
"I have no wish to kill you, that I don't. However you must leave this lady   
alone, NOW!" I said, my tone flat, my eyes half closed.  
  
He screamed, a shrill sound that belied his supposedly manly exterior and   
then fell to earth. Regarding his writhing body, I walked to him.  
  
"You should bind that up, you could bleed to death." Then I walked over to   
the girl.  
  
She was cowering with her back towards a tree. Her clothes were mostly   
tanish brown, while his had been light blue. I figured them for coworkers,   
this sort of thing happens all the time.  
  
I offered my hand, she didn't move, her eyes shut tight. I squatted down in   
front of her.  
  
"Hey there, you ok?" She then looked up, terror still written in her eyes.  
"What happened to him?" She then caught sight of the fallen man, and she   
sighed in relief. Tension seeped out of her, and then she collapsed.  
  
I caught her before she hit the ground, then sighed myself, I'm too young   
for all of this saving damsels in distress stuff. I lifted the girl, who   
couldn't be above 15, on my shoulder and headed off towards the town center.  
  
When I arrived, I could feel many, many eyes on me. From houses, windows,   
some with gladness but others with fear. I waited, and then I accosted a   
boy.  
  
"Hey kid, do you know whose girl this is?"  
  
He stared at me, too young to feel the tension that everyone around us was   
projecting. "Hm," he answered, "she looks like Akiko, she doesn't have a family.  
She lives and works at the Mayor's mansion."  
  
Then it all clicked, that guy wasn't just a worker, the gold that I now   
realized was around his neck, the arrogance. All were signs of an important   
man's son. Not good.  
  
"Here," I called to the people in their homes, "Would anyone want to take in   
this girl? I think she needs a new place to live."  
  
"There is no need for that." I spun around, or tried to, but even a girl can   
get heavy after a while. The speaker was short, gray haired and had a   
smiling face. His eyes were almost closed when he smiled, but he looked like   
a good guy.  
  
"I am the Mayor of this town, Miss Akiko works for me, though sadly my son   
has recently taken an unwholesome interest in her." He sounded truly sad.  
"So I noticed, if you want him to live, you'd better send some men out, that   
direction." I pointed towards the forest."  
  
"I see," He sounded even sadder. "So he didn't let her go willingly, you had   
to use force? Well I thank you for sparing his life, and I will ensure in   
the future that he understands his place in the society."  
  
"I would appreciate it. I think I should go, before Miss Akiko wakes up, and   
before your son gets back, I would have liked a bath, but hey, beggars can't   
be choosers."  
  
***  
  
Now, I had arrived at the great city of Tokyo-3, and I had seemingly fallen   
in love with a girl's smile. How very weird. I knew that I didn't love Rei,   
I couldn't, I barely knew her, and here I was, sleeping in her room, a girl   
who doesn't know that nakedness is wrong, a girl that almost never shows her   
emotions, heck a girl that probably didn't have all that many.   
  
I sighed...this was going to be very tricky.  
  
It was nearing 4 pm, and I was waiting for Rei to come home, then maybe I   
could talk with her, when a siren went off, and I knew something was VERY   
wrong.  
  
Author's notes:  
Hey, well isn't this fun =D, my first ever Evafic, and I'm already loving   
it. I love to write in 1st person so I guess this kinda comes naturally. Ok   
a few things to address. Firstly, I don't know where I heard that Rei sleeps   
nude, but I put it in, cause it was part of the whole, she doesn't know how   
to behave normally thing. Secondly, I would like to say that it's REALLY   
hard to write what Rei would know. I mean she's smart enough to know that   
when Kheldar is writhing in pain, that his back is hurt, and I think she   
would know that he would need a massage. Obviously she doesn't know the   
romantic implications of a backrub. But as I said, hard to write Rei. And   
btw, try sleeping in a bathtub, when you're about 6 foot tall, it's REALLY   
painful in the morning.  
  
Ok, now about the story, this is part of Foxboy's SI challenge, I like   
writing first person, and I LOVE writing about myself. Also, Kheldar is NOT   
a Mary Sue, while he may seem that his swords skills are like really good   
(ala Kenshin) he does have relationship problems and he also has a past.   
(Also he sucks at sports, I mean he IS me man.) And he really is me, good   
with archaic weaponry, fast for short bursts, quite smart (=D), is really   
smooth with girls he doesn't know (but fails miserably once he gets to know   
em) and I'm extremely loyal to those I befriend, so yeah, Kheldar is NOT a   
Mary Sue.  
  
Anyway, regardless of the reaction I get, this isn't finished yet. ;)  
  
C&C&F is welcome, in fact wanted, so send to silk_12@hotmail.com, and you   
MUST include the word Evangelion in the subject, or my junk mail will filter   
it out. 


	2. My first Angel:Comfort offered

Chapter 2  
My first Angel/Comfort offered  
  
As I walked outside, I covered my ears, trying to block out the wail of the   
sirens. The streets were empty, and warning signs flashed around the city.   
Signs spread around the buildings ordered the people to escape to the   
nearest shelter. Shelter? What the hell?  
  
All of a sudden, buildings began to descend, and then shock of all shocks   
the face of a building fell open and out stepped a HUGE purple robot, over   
300 meters tall. It towered over me, and then began to move. It walked away;   
trailing a long gray cord behind it's back. Then it stopped in front of   
another building that revealed a scale fitted assault rifle. Then the robot   
began to walk away towards the hills.  
  
I was trying to figure out what I had just seen, and then realized that NERV   
called the Children Pilots. I thought they meant jet pilots, but than, this   
could be far more likely. So if this was true, then that would mean that Rei   
might be inside that machine. I decided to follow it, but I would need some   
sort of transportation.  
  
Glancing around, I noticed a car, with it's window open, on the side of the   
road. Upon closer examination I decided that I could bring it back before   
the owner missed it. With my butterfly knife, I cut the ignition panel open, and  
then jammed my blade into the resultant opening. Turning the car on, I didn't  
really worry about my lack of a license, after all this couldn't be that hard.  
  
Four minor crashes, three rear ends and six stalls later, I finally began on the   
track to tail the big purple giant. It wasn't that hard, all I had to do was   
follow the footprints. Then over the apartment blocks I could just see   
the horn of that big monster, and above that a huge black and white shape   
that looked like a spherical blimp. Then, the purple robot turned around the   
building and blazed away at the sphere. It suddenly disappeared, and as I   
rounded the corner, a black substance began to spread underneath the mecha.   
I instantly hit reverse, but forgot to press the clutch and thus stalled the   
car.  
  
The sea of blackness began to advance towards me. Already I could see that   
the purple giant was in trouble, sinking into the oil like stuff. Then a   
huge red robot appeared on the scene, but stood there helpless and its   
bullets failed to forestall the sinking purple mech.  
  
I tried to start the car again, but it wouldn't accept my frantic twists, so   
I abandoned it and got out. I looked around and realized that I wouldn't be   
able to get out so decided that the big red robot with the sign Unit-02   
painted on its upper arm, would offer good transport.  
  
Unit-02 was about 50 meters away, but the blackness was coming fast. I began   
to run, but I knew I wouldn't make it, then the giant red robot must have   
seen me, cause it started moving towards my direction.  
  
As it rushed past, I jumped and dug my knife into a crack in its armor. I   
held on as tight as I could, but as it jumped onto the building I fell off,   
and plummeted towards the ground. My last thought before I landed in the sea   
of blackness was 'shit"  
  
***  
  
Shinji was in his entry plug, curled up into a tight ball, he shivered.  
"Damn, I never knew doing nothing could be so exhausting."  
He could feel the LCL become steadily staler and once again switched on his   
sonar and radar to pick up any movement. As before he registered nothing.   
Then, a small, "blip" appeared, then vanished.  
  
The boy stared, hope spring into his mind that something was out there.   
Anything was better then this mind numbing monotony. However his optimism   
soon faded as he couldn't pick up anything else. He soon returned to   
shivering and waited for his fate.  
  
***  
  
As the huge purple Evangelion smashed through the core of the 12th angel,   
Rei and Asuka stared in wonder and horror.  
"Is that what I'm piloting?!" Gasped a startled Asuka.  
  
Rei on the other hand, noticed something else. Once the huge purple robot   
descended to earth, a small form of a boy was astride its horn, hanging   
limp, his backpack the only thing keeping him connected to Unit-01.  
  
***  
  
I woke up slowly, my lungs burning, my head a blazing ball of lead. As my   
eyes slowly opened, glaring light blasted my eyes. I resisted the urge to   
scream, but still let out a moan that signified to my visitor that I was awake.  
"You're awake" said a calm female voice.  
  
I turned to face the source of this new and quite painful sound. There stood   
a blonde haired lady in a white lab coat. Must be a doctor I decided. She   
stood calmly, a clipboard help in the crook of her arm. She flashed a small   
smile before approaching my bedside.  
  
"Where am I? What happened to me?" I croaked as loudly as I could. However   
my voice came out softer then a whisper. At least she heard me.  
"You are in a NERV hospital, inside Central Dogma. As to what happened to   
you, I was hoping you could tell me." She turned away, then faced me with a   
glass of water. She carefully measured out a measurement of liquid before   
handing me the cup.  
  
When I didn't take it, she explained "Painkillers." I slowly drank the cup   
and then felt the pain slowly slip away. I swallowed and then proceeded to   
whisper what I remembered.  
  
***  
When I concluded my story, culminating in a 'then I blacked out" I asked   
what happened to that giant purple robot. She looked at me, and then sighed.   
"I'm afraid that is classified information." She began to head out, but then   
turned her head over her shoulder like some sort of afterthought. "Oh, and   
we will be moving your room, we believe it would help Shinji if he recovered   
with someone there to talk to.  
  
Shinji? Why did Shinji need to recover?  
  
***  
  
When I next woke up I found myself in a different room. It was white, and   
fairly large. Half wall windows covered half of one wall, and there were   
only two beds here, mine and someone else's.  
  
I slowly turned my head, it didn't hurt, and saw that Shinji Ikari was   
sleeping in the bed adjacent to mine. Well that doctor DID say I would be   
here, why would I be surprised? I drifted slowly back into sleep.  
  
When I woke up, I looked over to find that my new roommate was up. He was   
looking at me, but tried to hide it when I turned my head.  
  
"Wassup kid?" I asked, more to make conversation then anything else.  
  
"Wassup? Oh nothing much, just your pretty ordinary Angel fight I guess."   
His voice sounded so Dead. It was really depressing, this wasn't a topic to   
dwell on. Yet I still needed to know.  
  
"So you were in that large purple robot I take it." I tried to sound   
nonchalant.  
  
"Yeah, I was," he replied.  
  
"Wow, really? That looked like some cool machine man, and what was that   
thing that swallowed you, and me, up? One of those Angels Asuka mentioned?"  
  
"Yeah, it was."  
  
"Hmm, I see what we're up against, so you and Asuka going out or what?"  
  
Shinji looked plain stunned, and then a slow blush appeared on his cheeks.  
"No, she wouldn't look twice at me." He looked even more depressed.  
  
"I see, but you two are roommates right? Like you live together right?" I   
was pretty sure, from what I saw of Asuka, just what life was like for this   
poor boy.  
  
"Yeah, we live together, but she treats me like dirt, and I'm not worthy   
enough for a girl like her." I could see that spine enhancement would take a   
lot of work.  
  
"Are you kidding man? Back in ISKL, where I learned all my social skills albeit the hard way, a girl would go ten miles for a guy who was kind and gentle. The thing is, they just gotta know you care. That's the true secret of friendship, and it applies even more to girls."  
  
I said this with great confidence, though I didn't feel it. However from my   
analysis of the human psyche, I knew that most people bully others due to   
some deep-seated insecurity. So I reasoned if Shinji could provide that   
security to Asuka, she might just change.  
  
"So what if she doesn't want my care? She thinks I'm a good for nothing   
pervert, and even though I'm not, it doesn't seem to matter to her." He   
didn't dare hope did he.  
  
"Precisely the point, her reaction to you, is brought about because she   
thinks that you will just treat her badly if she opens up, thus if you let   
her know that you won't, she will therefore see you in a different light,   
and most likely treat you better. It might take a while for her to believe   
you, but all you gotta do is show her your heart. Honesty and loyalty are   
the two most important values in a relationship, followed by trust and   
respect."  
  
"But there is still an element of uncertainty, am I right?" He looked at me   
almost accusingly, like I was out to dash his hopes.  
  
"Look, in all of life is anything EVER taken for granted? You of all people   
should know that life can change in an instant, that's just the way of life.   
If you don't try, then you'll never know, and from what I can tell, no one   
wants to reject friendship, they just keep their walls up because of fear. I   
was like that once..." My voice waxed eloquent and melancholy. "I waited   
only for people to come to me, to talk to me first. For years I remained   
friendless, then one guy, taught me that if everyone thought like I did,   
then no one would ever reach anyone else."  
  
"But I'm afraid. I'm a coward." Man this kid needed some uppers man.  
  
"No you're not Shinji, anyone who pilots those huge machines against an   
enemy that is so different from us, people like that, are definitely not   
cowards. Plus, it's only natural to be afraid; you're only human. Just   
think deep. What have you really got to lose by opening yourself to her?   
Rejection? That isn't more that what you are at now. Seriously man,   
consider talking to her."  
  
"You know, maybe you're right, but then again, maybe you're not." Shinji   
sounded like he wanted to believe, but he didn't. Like a man who wanted to   
taste the waters of a mirage, he still thought that I was wrong. 'God,' I   
prayed, 'help this boy, he needs it.'  
  
From what I could see, Shinji was a nice guy, loyal, caring, and he needed a   
friend. I decided, that I would help him out a bit there.  
  
"So Shinji, you go out much?" I knew what his answer would be.  
  
"No, not really, just to help Asuka or Misato with shopping, or with a few   
guys at school for games. Why?"  
  
I reached over to my clothes that were folded beside me. Inside my hidden   
pocket I pulled out my butterfly knife, and also my wallet. I opened it, and   
pulled out a laminated with piece of paper, with a few pictures on it. I   
showed the card to him.  
  
"This is the Emblem of Kheldar Dagashi, once given it can never be returned.   
It is the symbol of friendship and trust that I give to only people that I   
know will never betray me, and you are the fastest one ever receive it." I   
smiled, and handed him the card.  
  
He hesitated to take it, but then tentatively took it out of my hands. I   
continued.  
  
"Look at the back." On the back of the card were printed these words.  
  
The code of Kheldar  
Honor for Allegiance  
Loyalty for Honesty  
Truth for Devotion  
Trust for Integrity  
  
He looked at me, eyes wavering between happiness and suspicion. Not saying   
anything, I flipped my knife, and then cut a vertical line done my wrist. I   
motioned to him and after another brief hesitation he gave me his wrist to slit as   
well. I then pressed my wrist to his, and let our blood mingle, in an action   
that had survived for eons.  
  
"I know life has been hard for you Shinji, I can see it in your eyes, and   
I'm REALLY good at that. But from what I've found, in those three years I   
have on you, a good friend makes life a lot easier, so remember, no matter   
how big or small the problem, I'm always gonna be there ok?"  
  
"Thanks, friend."  
  
I could see the tears in his eyes, and the happiness that shone there. Poor   
kid, to trust so easily, with just those few words. Lucky I was going to   
keep 'em, lucky for him that I am just as trusting. People need more Shinji   
Ikari's in this world. A whole lot more of them.  
  
***  
  
I woke up, feeling a whole lot better. A turned my head to the bed beside   
me. Shinji was sitting up, reading a book, and obviously didn't notice that   
I had awakened.  
  
I pulled slightly at the bandage around my arm, it wasn't that deep a cut. I   
had done this before, but NOOoo the stupid blonde haired doc had insisted   
that we get a bandage. *sigh, what was this world coming too.  
  
I was about to say hi, when the door burst open and Misato Katsuragi walked   
in. A very happy Misato, probably over Shinji's recovery, followed by a very   
happy Asuka, who was trying to cover it. I smiled, and pretended to be   
asleep; I knew I was right, I just KNEW IT.  
  
"Hey Misato, Asuka, am I cleared to go?" he asked, and his voice seemed a   
bit lighter.  
  
"Yes you are blockhead, and might I say, don't you ever do anything like   
that again ok? That stunt with the Angel, what were you THINKING going off   
on your own? Just because you've got a higher sync score..." Asuka looked   
like she was going to say more, but Misato cut her off.  
  
"I think he's meant to be getting better, meaning less stress?"  
  
"Well yeah it's just that." And then Asuka gave Shinji the shock of his life   
and bestowed on him a quick hug and a whispered phrase I barely caught. "I   
missed you." Which of course left Shinji totally confused.  
  
Asuka, quick to cover up her lapse, started going on about his   
insubordination and the like as she, Misato and Shinji left the room. Shinji   
was the last out, and as he passed the door, he looked back at me, and then   
down at the emblem he had in his hand.  
  
"Thanks Khel, I think you may be right after all." He turned to leave.  
  
"Don't mention it man." I said, and I think he heard me, cause he smiled and   
left the room.  
  
***  
  
Wow, freedom never felt so good, as I took the train back to Rei's rundown   
apartment. When I arrived, it was close to 4 and so I decided to clean up the  
place before Rei got back. After, a few glances through my wallet, I   
found a very strange plastic card that had my photo on it, as well as the   
words NERV ID. I didn't know why I had one of these, but the blonde doc,   
Ritsuko, had told me that I could use it to get places and that it had a   
credit strip on the back, something about repayment for the blood I lost. I   
should have known my room was being watched.  
  
Apparently the good doctor had been observing my talk with Shinji, and that   
day had noticed a 4 percent rise in some test score of his or something. I   
guess they thought I had something to do with it. Anyway, I wasn't   
complaining, and had stopped by at a supermarket to buy some stuff to clean   
up the messy apartment.  
  
So there I was, industriously moping the floor, and scrubbing the bathroom   
mirror, so intensely that I didn't notice Rei's return until she walked into   
the bathroom. Bad slip for a swordsman, I tell you.  
  
"Oh, hi Rei, wassup?" I said, barely stopping from my task.  
  
"Wassup? What is that word?" She sounded both puzzled and curious.  
  
"Well it means, what is up, like me asking how you day was, and how you feel   
and all of that." I was patient with her, plus I didn't mind talking, I   
didn't always have such interesting topics to discuss around girls, contrary   
to what I had Shinji believe, I always was a bit tongue tied around them.   
And it got worst the more I knew them.  
  
But Rei was different, she had the ability to make most boys totally   
nervous, true, but to me, since she didn't know how I was meant to act, I   
felt comfortable just being who I was. No need to pretend, to "fit it" just   
to be 100% Kheldar, and relax. I think what is why I stayed here, why this   
room gave me such peace, it wasn't that place, with its really annoying   
building sounds, nor the view, just another building. No, it was the person.   
Rei, thought by many to be just emotionless, to me she was comforting,   
relaxing, and I liked that.  
  
"You have cleaned my house." It was not a question.  
  
"Well, yeah I did, you like it?" I wasn't nervous, but I did want her   
approval.  
  
"It is not disagreeable." She paused, and looked at me, "what is this   
feeling that prompts me to give you something back, that wishes to repay   
you?"  
  
She had me, I didn't really know. "Gratitude? That would be my guess. See   
Rei, feelings are things that people have to figure out for themselves. You   
can't just ask others what they are feeling cause all people are different."  
  
"I see, well then, I think I have gratitude towards you, what should I do?"  
  
I laughed, she looked a bit shocked. "Most people, say thank you. That is  
standard response for a gift. However, if someone does something that you really  
liked, you could take em out for dinner, or a drink, or if they are a guy, you  
could give em a kiss. But a thank you will do for me." And then I grinned. =D.  
  
"Thank you Kheldar, this is most welcome," she said, and then let out one of   
her rare half smiles. Just the picture of her eyes closed and her head   
tipped to the side, the small smile, all that blazed into my memory; that   
was thanks enough.  
  
"You're welcome Rei." I quickly turned back to my task, continuing to   
scrub the mirror, my face getting redder.  
  
"Kheldar?" She was curious.  
  
"Ya?" Why was she still there?  
  
"Why's your face red?"  
  
"Oh, um, that's because I'm scrubbing so hard, makes the blood rush to my   
face, genetic thing," I stammered, trying to cover for myself.  
  
"I see," she turned around and began to walk to, "than don't scrub so hard."  
  
I blew a sigh of relief, moisture beading on my arms and down my   
head. Damn it Josh, control, control. (when I call myself Josh, I'm REALLY   
flustered). Then I proceeded to have one of my famous self-conversations,   
all in my head of course.  
  
(Josh is the timid, but more intelligent one, Kheldar the cooler, freer   
one."  
  
Josh: [Like it's decided, belligerent] She doesn't like us, so what are you   
trying to do huh?  
  
Kheldar: [calmly] You don't know that.  
  
Josh: I can guess, can't you tell that she's got no emotions? How could she   
like us?  
  
Kheldar: [getting frustrated] Josh, shii man, you always are such a coward, didn't you hear what I told Shinji.  
  
Josh: [warning] There still is that element of doubt. And we have more to   
lose then that guy.  
  
Kheldar: [Slightly angry] Hey, he's one of the few now, you will address him   
with a bit more respect.  
  
Josh: [with a humph] That was YOUR emblem, the one with the knives and   
crosses on it. You didn't give him mine.  
  
Kheldar: [Factually] Well there is only one left of you, after all I did   
change in Penang, and that meant a different emblem.  
  
Josh: [Senses he is losing that argument] Back to topic, Shinji is already   
at odds with Asuka, he has nothing to lose if he asks her out, just a no,   
and then things will be much the same, also we can tell that she likes him.   
However for US it's a lot different, Rei is totally emotionless, how the   
hell can you read anything through that.  
  
Kheldar: [Getting annoyed] You're just not looking properly.  
  
Josh: Well you're the leader now, so what you propose we do?  
  
Kheldar: (thinks for a second)  
  
Josh: [Totally incredulous] you're not serious!!!  
  
Khelder just smiles  
  
I stepped out of the bathroom. And noticed Rei wasn't there anymore, now   
where could she be!?! That girl didn't know anything about common courtesy,   
didn't even tell me where she was going. Though I suspected it was to NERV,   
so I decided to go visit Shinji.  
  
I left a note for Rei, say that I was going to be back by 8 and that if she   
came back after 7:30 to wait for me before eating dinner. Then I left the   
apartment, leaving all my weapons except my b-knife behind.  
  
I walked towards the train station, and then took the train the Shinji's   
stop, I hadn't been there before, but while in the hospital he had given me   
the route, and I was great at taking trains, so I decided I could do it.  
  
I took the elevator to the right floor and the searched for the apartment.   
After 2 minutes of scanning doors, I found the right one, and pushed the   
doorbell. For minutes I heard nothing, then a soft, "coming" that sounded   
like Shinji. The door slide aside and there stood Shnji, who looked like the   
world had fallen on his shoulders. Damn it, I knew he had messed up.  
  
"What's with the long face?" I solicitously asked. Please don't say Asuka.  
  
"It's Asuka, she's been in her room all day, saying something about her   
horrible sync ratios or something like that." I presumed he was looking in   
the direction of her room. "Here come in Khel." I stepped in.  
  
"Oh you mean those tests that Ritsuko was talking about? The ones that you   
boosted 4 %?"  
  
He looked a bit sheepish, "Well, on the test before the 12th angel, I had a   
higher score the Asuka, and she really cares about these sorta things," he   
smiled sadly, "I don't really, but after my 4% boost, I was even higher   
above her, so now she's complaining majorly."  
  
We both sat down at the dinner table, where he was eating a bowl of some   
sort of noodles, looked like Maggie Mee. Shinji continued to eat, after I   
declined some.  
  
"I'm scared, I don't wanna talk to her when she's like this."  
  
I sighed, somehow I knew it wouldn't be so simple. So I decided that I would   
talk to her, though fear trembled in my heart, I would do the oldest trick   
ever used in High school.  
  
I stood up, "Here I talk to her, maybe she'll open up to someone that she   
doesn't know."  
  
I looked hard at Shinji's face, and caught a glimpse of anger, as well as   
self-contempt. However against what I hoped, he didn't yell at me and do it   
himself, I guess I really did have to do the Dagashi Maneuver.  
  
I walked over to Asuka's room, and paused with my hand on the door, this   
wasn't for me, this was for my friend. Therefore retreat was not an option,   
death was welcome. Why wasn't I breathing, could one girl scare me all that   
much? I opened the door a crack and looked in.  
  
On her mattress, lay a prone Asuka, her body occasionally trembling with   
held in sobs. The side of the mattress was to the door, and her back faced   
me. I briefly debated announcement of entry or sneaking up on her, and   
decided to go for the safer option.  
  
"Hi Asuka." She rolled over and looked at me with tear stained eyes.  
  
"Huh, What are you doing here?" She looked puzzled, and something like hope   
sprang into her eyes. I knew what she was thinking, as I knew just how badly   
Asuka needed company, however I also realized that if I helped her, there   
might not be room for anyone else, and I couldn't do that to Shinji.  
  
"Oh, I just came by to see Shinji, you know check up on him after his   
accident, and thought it was polite to say hi." I tried to sound nonchalant.  
  
"Oh," she turned back to face the opposite wall, I was getting worried, I   
had to say something, but I didn't wanna risk too much. However my   
chivalrous side took over, and I stepped inside.  
  
"So what's been hanging Asuka? You don't look so happy." My voice lilted up,   
like I was trying to make conversation.  
  
"Why don't you go and play with your new "friend" Baka Shinji? Why are you   
still here?" She sounded dead, like her voice was lifeless.  
  
"Well, it's my duty to comfort the weak.." Oh shit wrong words.  
  
Asuka sprang up so fast, I didn't know how she moved from lying down to   
standing up in that instant. "WHO YOU CALLING WEAK?!?!" (picture Ruroni   
Kenshin when Kaoru yells at Yahiko)  
  
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!?! GET OUT!"  
  
"Do you really want me to?" I could have rivaled both Rei and Shinji, my   
voice quiet like hers, and my head bowed down like him.  
  
The red head just stood there, her eyes staring at me, trying to find   
something, while her upraised arm stayed where it was. I turned slowly, and   
walked out, but not without saying parting words. I had to salvage   
something.  
  
"Shinji would never hurt you." Then I walked out and closed the door behind me.  
  
I could hear sobs coming through the door again, and continued walking till   
a set of feet intruded in my view.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" said a very upset Shinji, who then grabbed me in a   
chokehold and slammed me into a wall. He held me there, as I struggled for   
air, and he was 3 years younger then me too.  
  
"You say you're going to comfort her, that you could help me and instead you   
make her cry!!" While he was yelling, I did notice Asuka's door open just a   
bit. Shinji's fist however brought me back to the current problem, as he slammed   
a punch into my stomach.  
  
I doubled over, or tried to, and then my assailant finally realized what he   
was doing, he release me and I crumpled to the ground, gasping. He stood   
there, eyes wide, breathing hard, then he looked ashamed. "Oh shit, I'm sorry Kheldar, I just felt so angry, and slightly betrayed. I don't know what happened, please,  
forgive me?"  
  
To his surprise I began to laugh, or tried to, that guy could really dish it   
Out. "Don't sweat it man, if that had been the girl I loved, you'd be dead,   
before I realized what I was doing. I'm just lucky you don't carry a knife   
on you." Then I winked and grinned.  
  
Shinji looked abash, then he grinned too. However he stopped when Asuka   
finally opened her door fully. She stood there, leaning of the doorway for   
support, her hair in a huge mess. However she looked like she had just seen   
the most precious thing in the world, but didn't believe that it was for   
her.  
  
Shinji turned to face her, but stopped short of saying anything. They both   
stood there in silence, staring at each other's eyes, him wondering what she   
was doing, and she wanting to believe what she had just seen. Since neither   
of them seemed to be noticing me, I kinda tried to blend into the furniture.  
  
"Shinji, why did you hurt Kheldar like that?"   
  
Asuka was still looking at him, but he was first to break contact. Crushed that  
she would think of me first. He slumped, "Cause he made you cry."   
  
"So you beat up one of your only friends because he made me cry?" asked   
Asuka, her voice soft, yet melting, like she was really surprised, but   
really happy as well.  
  
Shinji, oblivious to the change in her tone, answered. "Yeah, I did."  
  
"Am I that important to you?" Her tone took on a slightly smoky quality, I   
knew I had to get out fast.   
  
Shinji, also noticed this tone, and stood up straight to finally take control of  
his destiny and answered her straight to her face. "You are the most important  
thing in the world to me. You are all I care about, my reason for even staying  
here. So yes, you are."  
  
I wanted to applaud, for those words must have taken so much effort, but I   
also desperately wanted to disappear into the ground, so I lay absolutely   
still.  
  
Upon hearing those words, the red haired pilot of Evangelion Unit-02,   
crumpled to the ground, and began to cry. Shinji, totally at a loss, just   
stood there. Suddenly I was behind him, "Don't just stand there, comfort her   
you idiot!" I shouted in a harsh whisper. Then I disappeared, out the door,   
and walked back towards Rei's Pad. The Dagashi Maneuver never ever failed.  
***  
  
For just seconds after Kheldar had left, Shinji simply stood there, his mind   
trying to sort out what his blue eyes were seeing. He knew that if he so   
much as touched Asuka, he would most likely get hurt, yet is compassion   
overcame his fear, and he walked over and crouched down beside her.  
"Asuka, why are you crying?" He was genuinely puzzled. After all he had just   
told her he loved her, hadn't he?  
  
In response, Asuka threw her arms around Shinji's neck and stayed there,   
sobbing her heart out against his shoulder. However Shinji wasn't prepared   
for this weight shift, and fell backwards, dragging her with him.  
  
He lay still, Asuka's arms still around his neck, her face still on his   
shoulder, her body off to one side as she quietly cried. Slowly, his arms   
came up, and settled around her back, ready to move at the slightest hint of   
annoyance. Instead, his answer was a squeeze from the German girl, and the   
sobs quieted down to sniffles.  
  
***  
  
Pen-Pen came out of his cooled room, to see what all the racket about. He   
saw Shinji and Asuka lying there, almost motionless, except for the up and   
down of their torsos as they breathed. He sighed, and then walked back to   
his room, popping and downing a beer, before going back to sleep wasn't love   
grand.  
  
***  
  
"I'm sorry Shinji," whispered the girl on his chest.  
  
"For what?" He asked, puzzled and amazed that Asuka had just apologized to   
him.  
  
"For treating you so badly all this time." She said, still facing off to the   
side. If she had been looking at him, she would have seen a small smile as   
He realized that Kheldar had been right all this time.  
  
"Don't worry, we have each other now, and I love you, nothing will ever go   
wrong again." He sounded so confident, Asuka really wanted to believe him,   
she really did.  
  
"You really think so?" She asked.  
  
"Well, I'll try and make it so, that's all I can promise." He paused, and   
then drew a deep breath. "Asuka...."  
  
"Yes Shinji?" She turned to look at him, and he stopped still staring at her   
eyes.  
  
"Um, well, ahh, do you well, do you lo... doyouloveme?" He finished in a   
rush.  
  
"Hmm, I don't know." She said with a smirk, and looked away, to hide the   
smile on her face.  
  
Shinji stared at the top of her head. She didn't know??!?!? What the hell?   
Then he felt her chuckling, and he smile again.  
  
"Very funny, very funny."  
  
They lay there for a while longer, then Asuka finally broke the silence.  
"Shinji?" She semi sat up.  
  
"Yeah?" He asked, almost on his way to sleep.  
  
"I love you too." She said, then lay back down on his chest.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so." Replied Shinji and they both smiled.  
  
*A/N  
I used Axel's style of writing for the dialouge bits in my head, it's pretty cool and the idea is all his. 


	3. A dinner to remember:A hope destroyed

Chapter 3  
A dinner to remember / A hope destroyed  
  
It was raining, damn it, I hate getting wet, it messed up my hair so badly.   
I sighed. Well, at least it wasn't a tropical storm, pre-Second Impact and   
at least it wasn't hot.  
  
I had taken the train and was now walking back to the apartment. My navy   
blue jacket had long since turned black and my socks were beginning to get   
wet. I glanced at my watch, and saw 7:43. Cool, I hope Rei is home.  
  
As I got out of the rain and into the apartment, I heard sounds of the   
shower running. Hmmm think Khel, think. What to do when she comes out. So to   
solve my problem, I lay down on my bed, and faced the wall until Rei came   
out.  
  
The water stopped running, and I could hear the door open. Footsteps sounded   
as Rei walked to her closet. Then, "Hello, Kheldar, you are back." Was it me   
or did she sound... not so uncaring?  
  
"Yeah, I was at Shinji's place, talking with him and Asuka, but yeah, I'm   
back."  
  
I waited, as I heard the rustle of clothes and tried to keep out unwanted   
mental images from my head. I decided to ask Rei a favor.  
  
"Hey Rei, do you think that when you next shower, you could like dress   
inside the bathroom. Like bring your clothes in, put them on the towel rack,   
and dress in there?"  
  
"Why?" she replied, curious at this strange change from her normal routine.  
  
"Uh, cause it's not considered polite of girls to be naked in front of   
guys," I stammered, again feeling a blush coming.  
  
"But your back is to me, so therefore I am not naked in front of you," she   
said, puzzled at my request.  
  
I sighed, I wasn't going to get anywhere like this, we needed to get a new   
apartment if I was going to be staying here, and fortunately I had already   
planned for this...  
  
***  
  
"So Doc, you look after all the pilots right?" I asked Ritsuko as she   
performed the final tests on me, and prepared to let me out.  
  
"Yes, I do, say, just how much do you know about Project E?" She looked at   
me appraisingly.  
  
"Um, nothing much, just that Rei, Shinji, and Asuka pilot those big mech   
things against Angels." I smiled my most disarming smile, damn, didn't work.  
  
"Well, I hope you don't ask too much, or we'll have to DEAL with your   
knowledge." The way she emphasized deal, I didn't want to know.  
  
"Well, Ma-am I was thinking that Rei's place is kind of a dump. And that   
well, I think it would be a lot better if she could stay at a better   
apartment, especially with her walking all over her room naked, with me no   
where to go..." I stopped as good doctor glared at me.   
  
"Hey, I'm a good boy, I stay in my bed with my face to the wall." I tried   
smiling again. This time it seemed to work.  
  
"Well, I believe that the Commander does not approve of your proximity to   
Rei, and he too favors a larger apartment. He doesn't want you teaching her   
anything that she's not meant to know." With a significant raise of her   
eyebrows I blushed. She continued, "however we believe that you shouldn't be   
in a huge house off by your own, and thus we have commandeered a flat on the   
7th story of Misato's apartment block. You and Rei will be staying there,   
though I don't know why Misato agreed to that." She stood up from her   
keyboard. "You're clean, and healthy to boot. Whatever happened to you in   
there, didn't seem to affect you too badly. So you may go, oh and here is   
something that the sub-commander thought you might need."  
  
Out of her pocket she handed me a NERV ID, complete with a good photo of me,   
and what looked like a credit count on it. I looked curiously at her.  
"Repayment for the blood you lost." She said with a wink. Then she left the   
room, with me sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the card with my   
emblem in the corner.  
  
***  
  
I snapped back to the present, just as Rei finished dressing. I sat up, and   
cautiously turned me head to make sure my ears had been right. Sighing in   
relief I got up. Time to put into action the plan that had scare Josh silly.  
  
"So Rei, what you having for dinner?" I asked, trying to sound offhand, but   
failing.  
  
She looked at me, and replied, "Home cooked rice and vegetables." She didn't   
look very excited about the prospect, so I decided to go on with my plan.  
  
"I was wondering if you would like to go out with me for dinner. To kinda   
celebrate my apparent acceptance by NERV, and one other thing."  
  
"What is that?" She asked.  
  
"It's a surprise. I'll show you after dinner, so will you like to come?"  
  
"Yes, I would like that," she said, and actually sounded kinda happy.  
  
"So, I was thinking that we can go to this restaurant down the road, it   
serves great pasta." Rei's eyes narrowed and I hastened on, "and they have   
vegetarian toppings too." I grinned at her, and she half-smiled back at me. Man I   
could never get enough of that smile, though a hug would be nice.  
  
"Shall we go?" she said, and headed to the door. I was   
momentarily stunned, expecting her to want to put on make up, and "clean up"   
like most girls do when going out on what was for intents and purposes a   
date. Also she was still wearing her school uniform. So I stopped her.  
  
"Um, Rei, don't you think that you should wearing something a bit more   
suited for going out? Not your uniform?"   
  
She stopped and turned around, and softly said, "I have nothing else to wear."  
She looked a bit down, and for Rei that made her look like she was full on  
depressed. She looked so CUTE! Ahem. Yes, anyway.  
  
"Oh well, it doesn't really matter, you're beautiful no matter what you're   
wearing." Oh damn, did I just say what I think I did. *sigh I need to learn   
to keep my mouth shut.  
  
However, contrary to my expected reactions, ranging from rage, to a slap,   
she blushed. And then started for the door again, well, that went well, I   
beamed, then quickly followed her before she left the house without me. I   
quietly pushed a number on my cell phone and then Rei and I headed for   
Sophia's.  
  
***  
  
The restaurant was just down a few blocks, so they decided to walk, since   
the rain had stopped. Both Rei and Kheldar walked the whole way, in   
companionable silence, each person deep in his or her thoughts, but each   
hoping that the other might speak first. Both were unsure with this new   
situation. Kheldar had never been on a date before, and Rei didn't know what   
a date was.  
  
When the pair arrived at their destination, they were very surprised   
to meet Asuka and Shinji arriving in Misato's car. As the two walkers turned the   
corner, they just missed getting clipped by a supersonic blue car, whose   
brakes squealed and stopped right in front of Sophia's. Then the two other   
pilots, stepped out, Shinji holding the door for Asuka, and giving her a   
hand to help her out, a hand which she did not take back. That was a good   
sign, but there went my plans of a romantic dinner, and I couldn't back out   
now. We continued up to them.  
  
"Hey you two, what are you doing here?" I called as I came within   
conversation range. I was totally unprepared for their reaction.   
  
Asuka jumped almost a foot, and Shinji immediately let go of Asuka's hand. They   
both stood there, blushing and glaring at me. I took a step back, and almost   
bumped into Rei.  
  
"Um, er, we were just going for dinner with Misato, but she had to go back   
to HQ for a emergency thing, so yeah, um that's right." Asuka tried to   
explain, then she noticed Rei beside me. "What are YOU two doing here?" she   
switched to a teasing voice, "out for a romantic dinner together?"  
  
I blushed, very quickly, which is unusual for me, so I quickly turned to   
face Shinji, while Asuka glared at my blue haired companion.  
  
"No, Kheldar and I were just going for a dinner to celebrate his acceptance   
by NERV and one other thing which is a surprise." Rei stated, and then began   
to continue on to the door. It began to drizzle again, so Asuka also headed   
for shelter. I was however talking to Shinji.  
  
"What the HELL are you doing here?" I asked, sounding rather angry, though I   
didn't know why I had any right to be.  
  
"We were just going for dinner man, take it easy. Me and Asuka kinda made up   
and stuff." Damn I knew I shouldn't have put so much spine into this guy.  
  
"I can see that, but why here of all places? I was going out with Rei!" I   
wasn't quite as mad, if they had gotten together this wasn't so bad.  
  
"You like her?" He was stunned, I could tell. My first impulse was to deny   
everything, but then an ache in my wrist reminded me who he was.  
  
"I wouldn't say I love her, I mean I've only been here a week, but I think   
she's cute, and she's nice, so yeah I do like her I guess," I sighed, my   
secret out.  
  
"Good choice man, she's a really special girl." I wasn't expecting this,  
  
"Come again?" I asked, still a bit confused.  
  
"She's a nice girl, Ayanami. You made a good choice, go for her man." He   
sounded like he was encouraging me.... I was incredulous.  
  
"And you've become an expert of girls in what, two hours huh?" I said with a   
wink, anyway, come on, we'd better get moving."  
  
As if on cue, one loud redhead shouted "Shinji! Kheldar, are you coming or   
what?!?"  
  
"Coming Asuka!" Shinji replied and we both went in, both smiling at what the   
other was up against.  
  
Inside the atmosphere was loud. Loud and hot, quite warm from the sheer   
amount of food and people that was within. Sophia's was one of the few   
pre-Second Impact chains to keep its popularity, no matter where you were,   
good cheap food was always welcomed.  
  
It also made for a great first date, while not being to classy and   
depressing, it was elegant enough to impress. I suspect this was why the   
other two pilots had come here as well. Oh well, a double date was fine with   
me.  
  
"So Kheldar, Wondergirl...I mean Rei here, told me that you got an ID. That   
means you're part of NERV, welcome," said Asuka, who had changed Rei's name   
after a small nudge from Shinji. "I take it the Commander likes you?"   
  
Shinji paled visibly, so I decided not to talk about his dad. "Well someone  
does, though I think it's everyone else. I got my card from the sub-commander,  
and my permission to stay at Rei's from Misato..."   
  
I was rudely interrupted be a synchronous "You are living with REI?!?" by the  
pilots of both Units 01 and 02.  
  
"Oh, you didn't know?" I said sipping my water. "I've stayed over for a week   
now, though only one night really, since I got whacked in the angel attack."  
  
"How the hell did you get both the Misato AND the Commander to agree to   
that?!" Asuka demanded. Again Shinji's face paled, but I didn't notice that   
much. I was more focused on the hand that had gripped mine when Asuka had   
yelled at me. I gave a gentle squeeze and the hand let go.  
  
"Um, what was that?" I asked, stalling for time, and thankful for the yellow   
overhead lights that were covering my blush.  
  
"I said, how the hell did you get both the Misato AND the Commander to agree   
to that?! It's not like you have an adult present like us."  
  
I thought about it for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say or   
what to not say, however I decided on the truth, for Shinji and Rei, if for   
anyone. "Misato thought it would be good for Rei to learn a bit about living,  
and since I spent the whole first night in there without doing anything bad, she   
figured I would be safe to do so. As to the Commander, I don't think he   
minds me, as long as I don't do anything harmful to her. Though I don't know   
what he's exactly what he's thinking. So, I'm her new roommate, aren't I   
lucky?"  
  
...Did I just say that out loud as well? However the pair were stunned and   
didn't appear to hear me. So I decided to study my menu intently.  
  
"So you live with her, in that one room messy apartment of hers?" Asuka   
emphasized every word.   
  
I made my voice light. "Nope, I slept in the bathroom that night, it was a bit  
uncomfortable, but it wasn't that bad."  
  
Shinji was talking to Rei, "so what do you think of this?"  
  
"Kheldar needed a back massage when he got out, I believed his muscles had   
cramped at night."   
  
'Rei talking,' I sighed, I should have known this was going to happen  
eventually.  
  
"So what have you two been doing since I left? If I am hearing right, you   
haven't shouted at Shinji once since we came in. Are you feeling well   
Asuka?" It was a desperate attempt, thankfully no one knew that.  
  
"Um, I, er, we, well we kinda decided that fighting isn't in our best   
interests," replied a somewhat nervous Asuka. It's lucky for her as well   
that the lights were yellow. Surprisingly my companion saw through the lie   
quite fast.  
  
"Is this because you realized that he loved you?" she asked quietly.  
  
Now I could see Asuka's blush, and Shinji's too. Both stared at Rei in pure   
shock, I wasn't quite as surprised, but I was more amused at their reactions   
then anything else. Rei forged on, ignoring the looks of astonishment of the   
faces of the two opposite us.   
  
"Or perhaps you told him that you loved him as well?" Ouch, I anticipated a   
lashing for Rei, and prepared to defend her on the spot. I was right.  
  
Asuka's hand lashed out, almost faster then I could see. However it wasn't   
me that stopped her, but Shinji. He looked at Asuka then whispered something   
in her ear. I could see the ice melt right there, and she sighed as she   
retracted her hand.  
  
"I'm sorry Rei, and yes you are right." She turned a puppy love look at   
Shinji, who looked vaguely embarrassed. "We love each other."  
  
"I am happy for you." The red-eyed pilot replied, and then settled back into   
her seat, waiting for the waiter to come and take her order.  
  
***  
  
The rest of the night had past uneventfully, and at the end we were all   
sharing a huge gelati that was over 5 large scoops tall. It was stacked   
from the bottom, lemon, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and on the top was a   
large scope of mint, surprisingly Rei's pick of the bunch. We were all   
carving into this mountain of coldness, and all enjoying it thoroughly.  
  
The conversation couldn't have been described as lively, except when I was   
arguing with Asuka. It was funny, both Shinji and Rei were sitting there   
quietly, while me and the "Red Haired Devil" were fighting over who could   
whip the other in StarStrike, the latest, FPS, First player strategy game. I   
was totally confident in my abilities, while she felt sure that she had the   
combat experience to beat me.  
  
Not to say that I ignored Rei; when she asked what she was feeling when I   
held her hand, I nearly dropped out of my seat. After finding out that the   
warmth was in a feeling more then a physical sensation, I tentatively   
explained to her the concepts of love and acceptance. I was surprised when   
she blushed slightly, I was beginning to realize that Rei wasn't   
emotionless, just good at keep her feelings under cover, it gave me hope for   
the future, small, but it was still hope.  
  
We were finishing our mountain of iced milk, and I was looking forward to   
showing Rei my surprise. However I wasn't so cool with the now love struck   
pair following us there too. I decided to try and ditch them, and so called   
for the check from a passing waitress. Glancing at my watch, I found that I   
was right on schedule.  
  
After paying the bill, we bade farewell to the now snuggling couple, walked   
out and headed for Rei's apartment. However, when we reached the main road,   
I motioned her to follow me to the train station. Her eyebrows raised   
slightly, but remembering my surprise, she nodded and followed me.  
  
We boarded the train, Rei to my right. As the doors closed I suddenly felt a   
weight on my shoulder. I turned right into a mess of azure hair from Rei's   
head on my shoulder. I jumped slightly and asked, "Rei, why are you doing that?"  
Not that I wanted her to stop.   
  
However she lifted her head. "Is it uncomfortable?" she asked, concern suddenly  
appearing on her face.   
  
I gently pulled her back down. "No, not at all, in fact it's quite nice, but I  
was just wondering why you are doing it."  
  
"I noticed Asuka laying her head on Shinji," who couldn't have noticed? She   
had sat like that for a whole half an hour. "And I believe that it is a way   
to show affection, is it not?"  
  
I gulped, affection, did that mean...  
  
"What do you mean by that Rei? You want to show me affection?" I asked   
stupidly.  
  
"Did I not just say that?" She said, with a small smile.  
  
"So does that mean you like me?" I needed to know, to settle my own   
insecurity.  
  
She lifted her head up again, and looked at me, her face confused. "Yes, I like  
you, as I like Pilot Ikari." My face fell, she liked Shinji too? My new feeling  
of happiness disappeared, and as the door opened, I got to my feet and left the  
train, walking out into the night, totally depressed.  
  
She didn't like me as more then a friend. *sigh, while I didn't mind, I was   
so sure that I had somehow got to the inner Rei, and Rei that could love.   
Now I realized now that I was wrong. WRONG! "WHY ME!" I cried and I slammed   
my fist into a near by wall, causing me to jump back and writher in pain.   
The rage left me, and I sunk down.  
  
Josh: [sighing] You never did take rejection well.  
  
Kheldar: [Bitter] Shut up, I'm trying to cry.  
  
Josh: [Consoling] Oh come on you idiot, it's not you've ever had a   
girlfriend before, this isn't new to you.  
  
Kheldar: Yeah, and since I'm the one in control here, you don't seem to   
notice as much as I do that I'm LONELY.  
  
Josh: So? What's really the difference between a friend and a girlfriend,   
really man. You should lighten up, steel your heart, and don't always hope,   
you're always too hasty.  
  
Kheldar: [to himself, wistfully] She lay her head on my shoulder. [Then   
replying] And I don't have many friends who are girls either.  
  
"Kheldar? Are you well?" Her voice shocked me out of my inner conversation.  
  
"Yeah, Rei, I'm fine." Though my tired voice told her that not everything   
was all right.  
  
"Why did you go out like that?" This is the station that leads to Major   
Katsuragi's apartment"  
  
I blinked and looked around, and found that she was right; this was the way   
to Misato's house. Well, at least my flare up hadn't damaged my plan, and I   
was still on time, though the taste wasn't quite as sweet.  
  
I stood up, "Yeah, this is the right stop, I'm sorry Rei, I was thought   
something was happening, when it wasn't." I sighed and started walking   
towards the apartment block.  
  
"What did you think was there?" She asked, laying her hand on my shoulder.  
I paused, then sighed again, "nothing that you would understand, come on,   
let's go." With that we both walked into the complex, and started up the   
elevator. 


	4. A new home:Truth revealed

Chapter 4  
A new home/Truth revealed  
  
The elevator opened, and we both stepped out, Rei not questioning me about   
stopping on the 7th floor instead of the 2nd. Had I looked at her, I would   
have noticed that trust that she showed to me, written softly of her face.  
  
The walk down the corridor felt like it had encompassed seconds, and we   
finally stood at the entrance to 4-7-2. I stopped and turned to face my   
companion.  
  
"We're here." I said. Rei looked at the door but also did not speak. I   
sighed and then with a small, halfhearted flourish, I swiped my NERV ID   
through the card reader.  
  
The door wooshed to the side, to reveal an apartment within, I offered Rei   
my arm, which she surprisingly knew how to accept, and we walked in. Inside   
was a medium sized lounge, almost identical to the Katsurigi's apartment.   
Already laid out were all of the items from Rei's old house, which were very   
few. I smiled a bit, as I looked at Rei and detected a hint of surprise.  
  
"Here is your room Rei," I informed her as I stopped in front of the master   
bedroom. Instead of her old room, just relocated, her new bedroom was   
stunning. The walls were painted with a soft blue; the color of the sky at   
noon, and the floor was light colored wood. Lamps were on, and they let out   
their soft glow illuminated the large single bed that lay in the middle.   
Over the single bed was a white headboard topped with silver knobs. A large   
wall length desk ran along the wall, and already had all her old belongings.   
To top it off, all her clothes had been arranged in the walk in wardrobe   
that was in the small hallway in, on the opposite side of her very own   
bathroom.  
  
The windows were covered with thick curtains, pale pink, which matched   
perfectly with the white and pink covers of the bed. The pillow was pink as   
well, and on it sat a small box.   
  
Oh shit I forgot about that. Hmmm, what to do what to do... I was too late,   
she had seen it.  
  
Rei had stood at the entranced of her room, with a priceless look of shock,   
surprise and joy. While she had been exploring the room with her eyes, I had   
been partly watching her. For the first time since leaving the train, I was   
happy, by the simple fact that I had made her happy. I smiled, but then my   
smile turned slightly sickly as she moved to pick up the box.  
  
On the card, on the top of the box, written in flowery gold script, were the   
words, "Welcome Home," surrounded by a small heart, and then inside it read:   
"I thought that your old place was less then you deserved, so I found you a   
new apartment. Welcome home, Rei."  
  
She looked at me, questioningly. "Did you leave this for me?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah I did, it's a gift" I replied somewhat sheepishly. "You should open   
it." I added when she had stopped.  
  
Rei untied the bow that wrapped the box and slowly drew the top off. Inside   
was a silver choker, with a red gem attached to the bottom. What was   
interesting was the way that the silver wove around the ruby face in a   
spiral fashion. The ruby wasn't big, but it was almost flawless, and I had   
owned it for a LONG time. Now I felt that I would be getting it back again,   
just like the last time I gave it away...  
  
***  
  
"I want you to have this."  
  
"Wow, it's beautiful."  
  
"Yeah, it reminded me of you as soon as I saw it."  
  
"It's really nice Josh, it's just..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can't take it, here, you can have it back."  
  
***  
  
"It's lovely Kheldar," said Rei, her eyes were shining. Almost all her   
emotional barriers were gone now.  
  
"Yeah, I know, it matches your eyes. I thought, well I thought it would be a   
nice welcome home present." I was looking down, not in her eyes, so I missed   
the slight flinch. Then those eyes hardened in resolve.  
  
"Is that the only reason you gave it to me?" she asked, her voice bordering   
on sounding dangerous.   
  
I caught that, but I was baffled, "what do you mean? I gave it to you as a  
present..."  
  
"Yes, but as what sort of present." She had moved from her bed and now stood   
about a foot in front of me. I gulped, and lowered my black eyes from her   
all absorbing red ones. I couldn't say anything but the truth, I knew she   
would see a lie instantly. I sighed.  
  
"Way back, when I was young I discovered a flaw in myself." I paused,   
reflecting sadly. "I read too much into political and social events. Thus, I   
was almost always convinced that one girl in my class liked me, and I   
actually was wrong. However even now, I haven't learnt my lesson, and I was   
hoping to give you that present as maybe to show that I care about you more   
then I would a friend." I drew breath and then rushed on, pouring out   
excuses. "I mean, I know I haven't known you that long, but you seem to be   
such a nice girl and well, you never make me feel bad, you always listen,   
and you don't misinterpret stuff." I slowed down. "You're an honest girl   
Rei, and that makes me trust you. In fact I thought that perhaps you may   
have liked me too. But on the train, you told me that you liked Shinji as   
you like me, which would mean that you just see me as a friend."  
  
I hung my head, all my problems and worries shown to the world. I cringed,   
both inwardly and outwardly as I waited for retribution. Rei turned, and   
faced her new room, her back to me, she then started to speak.  
  
"When I said I liked you as much as Shinji, I didn't lie. I do like you and   
Shinji, however just because I like you both at one level, does not mean   
that I cannot like you at a higher level. Does that make sense?" She still   
had her back to me.  
  
"Kinda, I think." I must have sounded puzzled, because she went on   
explaining.  
  
"Like a glass of water, and a bottle, if you had asked, if one bottle had   
one cup, I would have said that both did, but it does not mean that the   
bottle cannot be more then just a cup. Now do you understand?" She sounded   
frustrated, or was it nervous.  
  
"Yes, I think I do understand, but what does this have to do with you and   
me?" I still was confused.  
  
***  
  
Rei couldn't believe that he didn't know what she was saying. She   
contemplated just telling him, but years of conditioning, and keeping her   
thoughts to herself, were holding her back. She could not, and thus needed   
him to realize what she meant. She decided to give him one more hint.  
  
"Thank you for the gift Kheldar," spoke Rei as she finally turned around.   
"However I accept it as you originally intended, not as you give it to me   
now."  
  
Kheldar's head snapped up, no longer looking at her feet, though they were   
very cute. He stared in her eyes, those mesmerizing red portals, and for a   
brief instant saw behind her carefully cultured wall. For the first time, in   
perhaps all her life, Rei Ayanami let someone have a glimpse of her true   
self, not the emotionless doll that everyone thought as her, not the   
emotionless girl, not even the quiet one that she was known as in school.   
Inside her eyes Kheldar saw a girl who could grow to be a loving, caring,   
kind and loyal woman, a tribute to the female species, and at that instant,   
he knew that he would willingly go through hell and back to be with her   
forever.  
  
The moment passed and Kheldar stood facing Rei. Suddenly knowing what she   
wanted, yet afraid that he would make a mistake. So instead of anything   
fancy, he took the choker from her hands and walked behind her. Placing the   
necklace on her pale neck, he slowly closed it and then breathed into her   
ear.  
  
"Rei will you go out with me?" he asked, suddenly feeling every pore in his   
body overheating.   
  
She didn't reply immediately, and his nervousness heightened. Finally, when he  
felt his heart would burst, she turned around and asked with curiosity.  
"Um Kheldar, what does it mean to go out? I was expecting something else."  
  
I smile and drew her into a hug, taking the step, destroying my fear. Into   
her ear I whispered. "It means, will you love me?"  
  
"Yes, I would like that very much." She replied simply, and we both squeezed   
just a little bit harder.  
  
***  
  
The Commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari stared at the screen, his covered eyes   
betraying nothing of his inner rage. This was not meant to happen, and now,   
the key to his plan, the corner stone of Instrumentality was corrupted.  
"She can be replaced, and he must be removed to recreate my scenario."  
Sub-Commander, Kouzou Fuyutsuki, spoke from his position to the Commander's   
left.  
  
"Is that wise? His connection to the Third Child..."  
  
"Must be destroyed." The conversation terminated, just like the security   
footage of Rei and Kheldar standing together.  
Authors Notes:  
Well this is officially the end of AWTCL, at least the competition part   
anyway. I will probably write the rest, eventually, so the cliffhanger isn't   
really a cliffhanger, it's just like a tie in. From here the story will   
probably get darker, and I'll tell you now, I don't think I'm good at dark   
stuff. Though I'm probably not very good at WAFF either, so hehe.  
  
Ok, now one of my Pre-readers, told me, and I know he's right, that I made   
Rei FAR too easy to win over. Well I did, partly cause I needed this to be   
fast, partly cause I believe that given a really caring person, not someone   
that doesn't know what the hell he's doing with Eva (no offense to all you   
Shinji fans you there, I love him too) I think maybe she might have shown a   
chink in her wall, and thus have let someone get close to her. As I said   
once, I think she would have let Kheldar stay over out of perhaps   
politeness, but then again, I don't know how to write anyone, so I kinda   
made up a small side personality for her. Hope you Rei fans don't mind.   
ANYWAY, depending on the response I get, I will continue this, if however I   
get told to get off the air, then in that case, well I'll bomb the offender,   
then pull mystuff off to my HD. Cause honestly, I don't know if I'm good or   
not... (I mean I wrote a story, SCI fi stuff, and my English teacher liked   
it..... But I swear my description stinks) anyway, enjoy if you can, and   
yeah, I'll keep you posted.  
  
Oh yeah I know the WAFF was REALLY over done, that's just me, I'm a mushy   
person when I'm depressed ;) live with it.  
  
I desperately need comments and critiques. And if you flame I won't mind too   
much, as long as you tell me one point that you hated the most =D. Send to   
silk_12@hotmail.com and include the word Evangelion in the subject, or Eva   
fics, or something to tell me that you're a reader. Cool, well cya all soon.  
  
Ps: from here on, everything will be in 3rd person, in case you didn't like   
my 1st person style. Unless of course you say other wise..... 


	5. Betrayal:I must not run away

Betrayal/I must not run away  
  
'It's very quiet' thought Kheldar as he stared at the sky, 'and very beautiful too.' As he gazed in wonder at the stars that shone in the dark expanse of space, he felt the girl beside him move ever so slightly. "What do you think Rei? The sky look nice tonight?"  
Rei looked at him with what could pass as an amused expression on her face, for her anyway. "It looks the same as it always does." A small smile, concealed from Kheldar, hovered on her lips.  
  
Kheldar sat up, and looked at the center of his new life. The smile that she hid from him was all too apparent in her eyes, and he smiled back. "Very funny, very very funny." He lay back down, shoulders just touching, and both continued to just enjoy each other's presence.   
  
***  
  
Gendo Ikari sat, his hands interlaced in front of his face, as his translucently covered eyes stared at his son. "So you see, Shinji, that this Kheldar is a threat to our security at NERV. He represents a danger to Rei and is even now unscrupulously attempting to pry our secrets out of her. You understand that he must be eliminated... Do you hear me?"  
  
Shinji stood, head well bowed, staring at his wrist. The bandages were gone, but the line still showed. Drops of fury slowly fell on the straight red line as Shinji angrily contemplated his betrayal.   
"Yes father, I do. What do you want me to do?"   
  
***  
  
"Did I ever tell you how I came here?"   
  
They were still there, lying on the leeward side of the hill, staring out of the small clearing of trees that Kheldar had found during one of his explorations during school.  
  
"No, you didn't" answered Rei. "Just why you stayed." Hearing that Kheldar smiled at the length of her reply, at how the old Rei would never have said more then a no.   
  
After a bit of discussion with Shinji, he learned the full oddity of Rei showing as much emotion to him as she did. Ever since that night when they had found a new home, she had steadily been changing, talking more, even showing her temper and joking around. As if a dam had held her back, and his love for her had somehow broken it. He sighed inwardly, 'conceited thoughts again Khel?'  
  
"It's a very long story." He warned her.  
  
"I don't have anywhere else I'd rather be," she replied.  
  
"I was born 3 years before 2nd impact, on January the 22nd..."  
  
Kheldar continued, telling how his parents had died during 2nd impact, while on a cruise vacation. How he had been adopted and attended school at an island in Malaysia, even his failure at school to maintain many friendships.  
  
"You see Rei, I was a lot like you around your age. When I was 14, I didn't talk much to anyone, I let life happen to me, I didn't really live it. It was about then that I realized that I wasn't happy, that I wanted to see if there were other things out there that I could enjoy. So that's why I became a wanderer. To see the world, trying to find my meaning in life."  
  
"And have you found it?" She asked, a small lift in her voice, like she was hopeful of something, something that he knew was true.  
  
"Yes, I have, and you know what it is?" he asked, with a playful lilt to his voice sitting up to face her.  
  
"What?"   
  
"Pen-Pen." Kheldar replied with an absolutely straight face, which he kept for 3 seconds before bursting out in laughter. He blinked when he realized that she wasn't laughing with him. 'Well, I guess everyone has only so far they can go in such a short time' he thought. "I'm just kidding Rei. You know it's you right?"  
  
"Yeah, but the fact that you would even joke about such a thing is pretty insensitive." Kheldar froze, his mind locking up at those words. Rei noticed his suddenly glazing expression as asked with great concern. "What's wrong my love?" Worried that she had inadvertently hurt him, she quickly embraced him.   
  
"Those were the last things I said to him." His tone was that of a sleep talker, yet far more so, as if he was totally surrounded in a memory, a very painful memory.  
  
"Who?" Rei was now wavering between puzzlement and worry. She tightened her arms, trying to pull him back from whatever universe he was in. Her efforts were rewarded as his eyes cleared, and looked down on her, smiling at the relief on her face, though he still wore a far away look in his eyes.  
  
"Once, in my travels, I came across a place that I thought I would stay. I found a girl there, her name was Khrisine." Rei tensed, not knowing that she was reacting. Her Kheldar, with another girl? "She was beautiful, kind, intelligent and most of all charismatic, I really loved her, and I think she loved me too."  
  
Rei, was now both very worried and very jealous. Her logical side attempted to remind her that he was here now, but her newly found emotions quickly swamped that part of her and she clung just a touch harder.   
  
Kheldar felt this, then realized what he had said. "Oh, I'm sorry, Rei, I didn't mean it like that. We were really close friends, that's all, nothing like us." He laughed as she heaved a sigh of relief, but then his eyes darkened again.  
  
"There was a guy there that thought like you did, that she loved me more then just a friend, that we were too close. Khris and me were like far deeper then brother and sister, somewhere between that and best friends. Yet, none other than the man she loved broke our bond, the other sort of love, her boyfriend. I guess I don't blame him, now that I know what it feels like, but he forced me to leave. He loved to joke, and he was often kidding, but at the end he said that if he hadn't stepped in, Khris and I would have sinned. That's when I said those words."  
  
He fell silent for a few moments, then stood up, offering his hand to Rei. "After that, I vowed that I would never joke about such things again, that things said like that have the most potential to hurt people, words spoken by you in jest, can haunt someone for the whole of their lives. You never know if they meant it, and you never will."  
  
Rei was just a tad bit scared by the resolve and despair that she could feel in Kheldar, and she didn't really understand his problems with jokes. From what she had learnt in the past two weeks, jokes were widespread in the community, that even friends bagged each other, and that they all didn't care. Maybe Kheldar was taking this just a tad too far, or maybe he was just over-dramatizing stuff. She knew he liked to do that after he had almost beaten up a guy that she told him had tried to hit on her. Poor Kensuke was still trembling after the throwing knife had sailed just a centimeter past his ears. They began to walk towards their home.  
  
"Um, Kheldar." She asked, trying to get his mind on other, different things.  
  
"Yes love?" he replied, still deep in thought, not noticing the slight shiver she felt at that word.  
  
"Why do you always have knives around you? I don't believe you included that in your story."  
  
Kheldar looked positively stunned, before realizing that indeed he hadn't mentioned anything about it. He smiled, then started a new story, all traces of morbidity gone. "When I was younger, about ten, I loved to read. All the way until I was fourteen in fact, I read quite a lot. My favorite series had in it, a man by the name of Kheldar."   
  
Rei started, and then looked at her companion. "So that's..." she got out, before he interrupted her.  
  
"Where I got the name? Yes, my real name is Dave, David Loke Yan Yee, however when I decided to wander, part of that was because Kheldar himself was a wanderer, or perhaps an adventurer. At any rate, Kheldar loved his knives, and was pretty good with a sword as well. Due to my lack of social outgoingness, I had quite a bit of time on my hands, and took up swordsmanship as a sort of hobby. This quickly branched into knife throwing, fighting, and eventually I was as proficient as my name sake in most things deadly." Kheldar's face flushed with pride, and a sense of achievement as well. He winked at her. "Just about the only thing I've ever done right, apart from graduate when I was 14, but that was just academics."  
  
"So you're a semi-genius?" she asked, stunned that she hadn't heard all this before.  
  
"Well," he replied evasively, "I wouldn't say that. It's not that hard to finish just the bare minimum of schooling, and after Second Impact, most governments had other things to do than make sure children went to school."  
  
"What about your parents? The adoptive ones, surely they objected." Rei was puzzled at the seeming freedom of this precocious boy that she believed she loved.  
  
Kheldar laughed, a sound that slowly rippled through the evening sky. "They knew I was fine, in fact, they were the ones that gave me my backpack, complete with kudachi. My dad was an archaic history fanatic, and my mum, well she didn't exactly support all the things we did, but she didn't mind most of them. Though the rule 'no fighting in the house' had a very different meaning in my family."  
  
"So you left home, at fourteen years of age, wandered around the world, without any external support, and arrived here, three years later?" Rei was incredulous, only knowing that Kheldar wouldn't lie to her was keeping her from out rightly slapping him.  
  
"I think that pretty much sums it up."   
  
"So where in the world have you been to?" asked Rei, curious, because she herself had never left Tokyo-3.   
  
"Well, I was born in Malaysia, the capital, then I moved to Penang. When I left home, my dad's plane ticket sent me to the US. From there, I traveled most of the eastern states, and been to LA and Las Vegas. I stayed at Las Vegas and preformed there, with my knives, to earn enough to travel to Europe, I walked around Spain, Germany, UK, France, well, hitchhiked and stuff, not just walked, and then I won a vacation to Australia in a raffle that I didn't even enter, that was weird." Kheldar paused to take a breath, "That was where I met Khris, and I stayed there for over eight months. Just before I left, a friend told me about Tokyo-3 and the attack that happened here, I decided that living on the edge might be fun, as I knew that soon I would have to leave. Khris gave me the cash to fly here, and now here I am, right in front of you."  
  
Rei stared at him, doubt written all over her visage, faced with the idea that one underage boy, had traveled around the world. Ok, one very special underage boy, but still, a boy, and an under aged one at that. He glanced at her. "You don't believe me?" he asked, faking a hurt expression.  
  
Rei relented. "If it was ANYONE else, no I wouldn't, but I trust what you said when you promised never to lie to me."  
  
"Good, cause it's almost all true, though I've told the story so many times now, I forgot which bits I've embellished and which bits I left out. Though I have been to all those places." He finished with a wink. "So, had fun tonight?"  
  
"Well what do you mean by fun, as in was I happy and did I like spending the evening with you, then yes. I did have fun." She said, impishly smiling at him. No matter how much she did, he still loved that smile. As they both walked into the elevator she looked just a bit puzzled.   
  
"So you said you didn't talk much in your old school?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I believe I said something like that," he answered, leaning with his back to the right wall.  
  
"You seem a very experienced conversationalist, and you didn't hesitate much to introduce yourself when I first met you."   
  
Kheldar blinked, then sighed. "Damn, I thought only old people forgot stuff, well, in Las Vegas I didn't have a place to stay. So I ended up living with one of my work mates, a guy called Jamie."  
  
"Annnd...?" Rei prompted.  
  
"Well, after the first week of him going out everyday and me staying at home, he decided to bring me out and introduce me to a few of his friends." Kheldar thought back to that day. "Now that I think about it, a disproportionate amount of those were girls, but anyway." He hurried on catching her icy glance. "He showed me, more though example then anything, how to talk, and how other people would react to what you said. He was kinda weird, and he believed that everything you said had a direct input into what people thought of you. He was killer at manipulating people." He finished with a wink.  
  
"So that's how you learned to socialize?" she asked, once again amazed at the strange circumstances this wanderer had experienced.   
  
"I guess, so, though I only stayed there for three months, you can learn quite a bit studying ten hours a day."  
  
The elevator door dinged and slid open. The couple walked towards their door, Kheldar swiped his ID and held the door open for Rei. She thanked him and stepped lightly inside, putting her shoes by the cabinet and then heading for the kitchen.   
  
Washing her hands, she tied an apron around her waist, and then began to cook. Kheldar, being the easily bored person he is, was torn between reading the latest Children of an Elder God chapter, or helping his housemate with the food, knowing that Rei didn't mind either way, he nonetheless decided that four hands make lighter work than two.  
  
"Need help with that?" He asked, as he came around the workbench.  
  
"Well since you eat it, you can cook the beef and fish," she said, with just a slight frown at the thought.   
*Note from prereader- You're killing me with the punctuation of your dialog! LOL The proper form is this: "Well since you eat it, you can cook the beef and fish," she said, with just a slight frown at the thought. Notice how it goes fish, COMMA" she said. You keep putting a period and then capitalizing the next word. You do this: "Well since you eat it, you can cook the beef and fish." She said, with just a slight frown at the thought. That is wrong. I'm just going to fix them all from now on and not note them.  
  
"Hey, just because you don't' like meat, doesn't mean I don't ok?" he admonished her, quick to defend his eating habits.   
  
"Yes Khel," replied Rei, in the air of a girl who had heard this before.  
  
The two busied themselves with the chores of cooking, Rei began to hum as she worked, and soon Kheldar joined her. The continued this duet till Rei's cell phone rang. A frown crossed her face, but quickly disappeared when she heard the voice on the other end.  
  
"Rei, come to headquarters now." Spoke Gendo Ikari, "we have some tests we need to run."  
  
"Yes sir," she replied, though Kheldar could see the frown on her face. She ended the call.  
  
"You gotta go?" he asked, already guessing from the look on her face.  
  
"Yes, I'm sorry, I'll cook you dinner tomorrow," she answered, head bowed.  
  
"Don't worry about it, good luck on whatever top secret thing you're gonna do," he told her with a wink. "I'll go see if Shinji is going, and if not, I'll go eat with him."  
  
"I'll see you later then," Rei said as she walked out the door, her shoes making soft taps on the floor as she walked to the lift.  
  
The front door closed, and Kheldar debated his next course of action, 'well I guess I should call Shinji like I said I would.' He reached for the phone, picked it up, and dialed Shinji's number, immediately picked up the phone, like they had been waiting with it in their hands.  
  
Shinji: Hello?  
  
Kheldar: [cheerfully] Hey Shinji, I was wondering if you had any plans for dinner.  
  
Shinji: Umm, yes I think I'm free, why?  
  
Kheldar: Well Rei got called in for some tests, so I thought you might like to go eat some dinner.  
  
Shinji: [Nervous] I don't think we should go out for dinner...  
  
Kheldar: [Curious] And why not?  
  
Shinji: [Getting flustered] Um, I just don't think we should. Why don't you come down, and I'll cook you something?  
  
Kheldar: [Suspiciously] You're not telling me something... What's going on?  
  
Shinji: Come on Khel, just come down ok? Please?  
  
Kheldar: Fine fine, but if this is some sort of joke or something, I'll make sure you pay ok?  
  
Shinji: Yeah, don't worry, I'll see ya soon.  
  
*hang up*  
  
Kheldar put down the phone and headed for the door, picking up his wallet, sunglasses and butterfly knife from the bookshelf that stood in the corridor. He started towards the entrance, but paused in mid-step, as was his habit, trying to remember what he forgot. Nothing sprang to mind, so he continued on and took the stairs down to Shinji's floor. He pushed the button, and then waited, hands in his pockets, without a hint of a slouch.  
  
The door slid open with a soft 'whoosh' and a timid Shinji peeked out. Catching sight of only Kheldar, he motioned for his friend to follow him as he went back inside. By now Kheldar was starting to get a vague image that something wasn't totally normal, but being the lazy person he was he didn't dig too deep.  
  
The house was silent, and only two lights were shining, one in the kitchen and one streaming down from above him. The light reflected shining into his eyes, coupled with his astigmatism caused the rest of the apartment to darken and blur. He could vaguely make out Shinji's retreating back, and so chose to follow him.   
  
"So why'd you like beg me to come down?" asked a slightly confused Kheldar, as he settled down into a corner seat of a couch. He glanced at Shinji, "You ok man? You don't look so good." He didn't, Shinji looked very torn between something, as he sat staring at his wrist.   
  
Kheldar speculated as to what he was thinking before realizing that Shinji was staring at his emblem cut. Something was definitely up.  
  
"Hey man, what's wrong?" he asked, concern suddenly showing on his face.   
  
Shinji was quiet, but then softly he spoke. "My dad wants to eliminate you." As he spoke his head drooped a bit more and he slouched forward. His listener was stunned.  
  
"Eliminate as in kill me?" he asked, shocked and suddenly very much afraid. "Your father meaning Commander Ikari?" Finally realizing that they WERE related.  
  
"Yes, and yes," Shinji said adding a bit of force into his voice. He lifted his head, having come to a decision, resolution written on his face. "You've got to leave Tokyo-3."  
  
After Kheldar didn't think he could get any more surprised this took the cake. "LEAVE Tokyo-3, as in run away?" His mind slowly kicked into gear as he realized that Shinji was probably right, he didn't stand a chance against the might and resources of NERV. Leaving was his only option. Now his head slumped.  
  
"Rei," he uttered, the name like honey on his lips, as he remembered the time they had shared just in the last two weeks. His thoughts were interrupted by Shinji.  
  
"Has been called to HQ right?" he asked, then continued in response to Kheldar's nod. "She's either being ordered to help with your termination or to be held so that you would co-operate, I believe that the former is more likely."   
  
Kheldar just stared open-mouthed at him. "Rei betray me? NEVER!!" he cried springing up and almost punching Shinji. Just as contact was about to become made he stopped, trying to calm down.  
  
"What ever makes you think Rei will betray me?"  
  
***  
  
Gendo Ikari sat, his hands interlaced in front of his face, as his translucently covered eyes stared at his son. "So you see, Rei, that this Kheldar is a threat to our security at NERV. He represents a danger to Shinji and is even now unscrupulously attempting to pry our secrets out of him. You understand that he must be eliminated... Do you hear me?"  
  
Rei was reeling inwardly, HER Kheldar? A threat? To Shinji? It wasn't possible, yet the commander was telling her it was true, no, he loved Shinji, he would never hurt him, just like he could never hurt her. Yet, the commander was telling her that Kheldar wished to hurt Shinji, that he was a threat. The commander, who had raised her himself, who she owed everything to, that she lived to serve. How long had she actually known Kheldar for anyway?  
  
With a last despairing cry, the newly awakened emotions of Rei swiftly fell to the old mask of indifference and coldness. With a wrench she realigned her world, and once again set Eva and the commander was her center.  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
***  
  
"Commander Ikari raised HER? What about you? I thought you were sent away when you were... Oh, I see," uttered a thrice stunned and now embarrassed Kheldar. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for," replied Shinji. "If anything I would be saying sorry for having to bear such bad news, but it is almost a certainty that Rei will obey the Commander's orders."   
  
Kheldar regarded him with one eye. "So where does that leave you and Asuka?" he queried hesitantly. "I mean by helping me you risk your life and perhaps hers, so what are you going to do?"   
  
Shinji's mouth twisted into a frown before replying. "I can help you escape without risking too much, so that is what I suggest." I can get you train tickets out of here, and you can leave from an airport in another part of the country. Apart from that you're right, it would be dangerous."  
  
The black haired wanderer sighed loudly, almost sickened that things had turned out like this. Everywhere he went, friends he found, yet more people he found to chase him away. 'Maybe I should have just stuck with being a hermit.' He got up and walked to the balcony, staring out at the black sky and the bright stars. Looking up he could just make out the Big Dipper over the ambient light of the city; he followed his course and found the North Star, Polaris, and stared intently at it, his direction finder in times of need. Yet again he sighed.  
  
"Well, I can't go man, I know what you're saying and all but I can't go," he said softly, continuing to stare at the stars. "Did I ever tell you about where I came from?"  
  
"No, I don't think you ever told me or Asuka," replied Shinji as he came to stand next to his friend.  
  
"Before this place, I came from a country called Australia, you know where that is right?"  
  
"Some where below us, it's an island, right?"  
  
"Yeah, anyway, when I was there, I knew a girl, we were really close friends, her name was Khris." He turned to Shinji then, and Shinji stared back, listening, trying to see where this was leading.  
  
"We were really good friends, or at least we were until her boyfriend decided that we were too close." Kheldar paused, and pulled out his butterfly knife. He began to flip it as he finished his story. "He told me to leave, and well I listened, even though I realize now I should have stayed and talked it out. I took the easy way out, which is why I resolved never to run away again."  
  
With a snap of his wrist the knife sailed into the air, blade and handles seeming to fly in totally random patterns as it arced from his right hand to his left. As the knife began to descend, Kheldar lifted his left hand with a victory V, closing his two fingers together he delicately caught the blade perfectly between them. With a curl and a flick of his fingers the knife sailed end over end until it buried itself into a post where it quivered next to Asuka's head.  
  
She yelped, and then belatedly dived to the side, even though the knife wasn't going anywhere. Her hair streamed out behind her like a banner as the world slowed down for Shinji. He moved towards her as fast as he possibly could and caught her just as she was about to hit the table.  
  
The flame haired German girl lay stunned, for a second before pushing Shinji out of the way and advancing on the cause of her recent stress. Grabbing the collar of the sheepishly smiling Kheldar, she pulled him in close.  
  
"And what was that for might I ask?" she inquired in a deceptively calm and quiet tone.   
  
Kheldar, not fooled at all, quickly reviewed his options before coming up with a brilliant rejoinder. "I thought you were an intruder coming to hurt Shinji. Sorry about that most glorious Asuka." he said, as humbly as he could.  
  
Asuka stared hard at him, trying to see if he was teasing her before reluctantly letting him go. She spun around and stared at Shinji who was doing his best to look inconspicuous.   
"And what were two doing all alone here anyway? Nothing perverted I hope?" she ribbed Shinji as both the males obliquely sighed. When Asuka could tease people, it normally meant she wasn't too mad.   
  
"No, nothing like that." Shinji weakly protested, "I was listening to Kheldar talk about his life before Japan. It was very enlightening." He glanced at her, then decided that she hadn't been told what he knew from his father. "So where you were you just now?" Inspiration came to him as he continued, "not doing anything perverted I hope."  
  
Asuka flushed, and for a second Shinji was afraid that she HAD been doing something bad, and without him no less, then he blushed at the thought. She stammered an answer. "I w-was out shopping." Then she turned and started for the safety of her room.   
  
Kheldar, always on the look out for his friends, stopped her. "With who? Not some guy I hope."   
  
He peered at her, speculatively. She flushed again. "I was shopping with... with Hikari." Then suddenly she flared, "And what's it to you! You attempted murderer!" She stamped her foot, glanced at the knife, then back at him. With an almost frightened look she dashed into her room.   
  
Staring at the door, Shinji thought about what he had just seen. She had seemed almost afraid of Kheldar, though that was only natural, as he HAD almost killed her. Still...  
  
"She has orders too."   
  
"What?" Shinji looked at his friend, somewhat confused by this ambiguous statement. He turned to look at Kheldar and almost jumped back, totally startled at the change of the man he beheld.  
  
Gone were the friendly yet lazy eyes that so marked his appearance, gone too was his jacket, or so Shinji assumed. Kheldar stood, in a loose white T-shirt with his traditional black jeans. Without his jacket, blue eyes now beheld what Kheldar had been concealing. Strapped to his forearms were large black sheaths, both of which contained combat knives. Crossing his arms, he drew them then flipped both to catch them in a dagger grip. One he thrust into his belt, the other he held in his left hand.  
  
Striding to the embedded butterfly knife, Kheldar quickly removed it and placed it in his pocket once it was closed. Running his hands over his calves and shoulders he turned back to the very shaken Shinji.  
  
"You're right, I can't stay, but I can't run away either, I mustn't run away!" He finished with an exclamation. Suddenly he closed his eyes, a grimace on his face. Slowly it receded, slipping into an expression of despair. Slipping the knife back into its sheath he dejectedly fell back onto the couch.   
  
"Who am I kidding?" cried Kheldar as he stared at the wall. "This isn't some bad action flick, where some dude takes on a whole army and wins. I can't do anything." He slumped forward and curled into a small ball. "I'm such an idiot, making a fool of myself like that, shisamake! These things always come back to haunt me later."  
  
Shinji paused, looking at his previously terrifying now sulking best friend. Sitting down on the couch he tried to think of some words of comfort he could offer. "You looked scary to me." He rolled his eyes 'Damn, was that all I could come up with?' and tried again. "I thought you looked very impressive, with those two knives."  
  
Kheldar uncurled slightly, and slowly raised his head, "Really?" he asked, hopefulness evident on his face. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" Shinji blinked and sat down on the couch opposite is distraught friend.   
  
"Yeah, I really did feel impressed, and quite a bit scared. Though you shouldn't do that too much, some people might take you for some psycho killer and like call the police or something."  
  
Both men chuckled at the thought before lapsing back into silence. The situation was grave, and as of yet neither had any idea whatsoever as to what could be down to change it. Shinji didn't want to put himself or his new found love in danger, Kheldar didn't want to expose any of his friends to something that he himself should deal with. Both were worried more for someone else's benefit more then their own, and thus neither knew what to do. Finally, after much thought and consideration, Kheldar decided that something had to be done. Them sitting staring at the wall would accomplish nothing, so he decided to talk to Asuka.  
  
He got up, and started walking towards her room. He paused, remembering that last time that he went in there, and wavered slightly in his decision.   
  
"Khel, what are you doing?" asked a subdued yet slightly suspicious Shinji. He too remembered that night, though with slightly more emphasis then Kheldar did. He blushed at the thought before hearing 'I just need to find out what are the orders are pertaining to me.'   
  
Kheldar turned back to the door before quietly knocking.   
  
"Yeah? What you want?" came Asuka's muffled voice. Kheldar slid the door open and walked in.  
  
Asuka's room was impeccably tidy, but almost overflowing with every sort of 'stuff' known to man. Along the numerous bookshelves sat manga, magazines, photos, toys and even a CD player. Her two closets were filled with clothes and her desk was littered with stacked paper. Kheldar wondered how anyone could find anything in this mess, then realized that his room hadn't been this neat, yet had almost definitely as much stuff. He turned his eyes to the sole occupant of the room, and then almost wished he hadn't.  
  
Asuka was staring at him like he was some creature from the Black Lagoon. Her mouth opened to let out a scream but nothing came out. As Kheldar watched, she backed away from him as far as she could, pulling off his blanket and holding it before her. "GO AWAY YOU PERVERT!!" she screamed and Kheldar almost did. He understood her distress, or thought he did, scared that he had come into her room to catch her naked or something. He half turned, but the sheer fear in her voice caused him to stop.  
  
"What makes you think I'm a pervert?" he asked, now curious as to what exactly Gendo had said about him.  
  
Shaking with either rage or fear Asuka stood, her expression terrified and both her hands hold up her blanket. As Shinji raced in after hearing her scream he felt another burst of rage coming, directed at Kheldar, what had he done this time?  
  
The object of everyone's fury stood, impassive as he stared at Asuka's face. He sensed the movement that announced Shinji's arrival and held up his hand, forestalling any comments.  
"Exactly WHAT did the commander tell you about me?" The strangeness of the statement momentarily shocked Asuka out of her terror.  
  
"Commander?" she asked, confused, but still scared, "Misato told me you were a convicted Child Molester and that she was going to raid your apartment as soon as Rei was gone." She looked away and muttered, "though I don't think she knew that you would be down here, leaving us two pilots unprotected, Mein Gott."   
  
Kheldar stared at Asuka, then turned to face Shinji, his eyes wide and very much shocked. He glanced at Asuka, and exchanged nods with Shinji before leaving the room. The sounds of an explosion filtered down and he involuntarily flinched. He headed for the balcony and took a quick look at the myriad of cars parked below. Looking around he spotted an older model car that he believed he could hijack. Turning back to the house, and the emerging couple to saluted.  
  
"I've got to go, can't use the front door, I'll keep in touch." He spoke rapidly, as he turned back to the balcony and prepared to climb over it. His movement was arrested by their voices.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have realized that bastard Commander would try something like this." apologized Asuka.   
  
Then Shinji spoke up. "She understands now, we'll see you around some time, take care Kheldar." He exchanged nods with his friend then grunted as he caught what Kheldar had thrown. Glancing down at the small velvet covered box in his hand, he heard the sound of a body falling. Looking up, he realized that Kheldar had dropped, and moved to the edge with Asuka to follow his friend's progress.   
  
Kheldar ran, crouched low, as he headed for the last place he had seen the car he intended to steal. Briefly considering the moral implications of his actions, his doubt was erased after seeing a NERV Section 2 agent walk out from the lobby. The agent glanced around before retreating back inside. Breathing a sight of relief Kheldar opened the car door, thankful that the older European models still used conventional key locks. Hot-wiring the ignition, he glanced over the dashboard before slowly sneaking out of the car park.  
  
Shinji and Asuka watched his progress from atop the balcony, when Shinji realized his hand was getting sweaty from holding the case. Carefully opening up the box he found a pair of earrings with heart shaped stones emplaced in them. Looking closer, he realized that the stones were real rubies and almost dropped the box right there. Catching sight of the lid, he read the words, "To center of my life, from the heart, Kheldar" out loud.  
  
"Gimme that," demanded Asuka as she snatched the box out of his hands. Glancing at the gift, and at the note, she slowly closed the box and handed it back. Shinji just as solemnly accepted the gift before noticing that Asuka was trembling. Immediately concerned he placed his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, believing that she was sad Kheldar had gone. Jealousy briefly flared in him but died just as swiftly with her words.  
  
"He really loved her, and I believed he had it in for us," she breathed so quietly Shinji had to step forward to hear. With his chest pressed to her back, she turned around and threw her hands around his neck.  
  
Shinji was stunned at first, but slowly relaxed as Asuka cried out her fear, shame and anger all at once. They stood there for a long time, so that when Misato arrived home, disappointed at her lack of success, she noticed the pair of them, standing in the exact center of the balcony, Asuka's head on Shinji's shoulder and his head tilted to rest his chin on her back.   
  
Misato sniffed a bit before heading to the kitchen to drain a beer. She noticed Pen-Pen as she emerged from the iced room and offered him one too. Simultaneously popping their tops, they both clashed their cans thinking the same thing.   
  
"Isn't love grand?"  
  
*Author's final farewell*  
  
Well, it's been fun, what started out as an SI for Foxboy's comp, became my first ever fanfic, well, sadly this will be the last chapter that comes out. Due to the fact that many people have criticized my Mary suedness, and cause I realized I didn't do that well on it, I'm going to stop this particular series. I haven't forgotten it, I might come back to it, or even rewrite chaps 1-5 and start a new series, but for now, it's going on hold. However I haven't stopped writing, so look out for my next fic "Bittersweet Symphony" (or something else, cause I haven't finalized the title.) 


End file.
